What is hardening?

Discussions related to using the OSE version of VirtualBox.
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feldmaus
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What is hardening?

Post by feldmaus »

Hi all,

i want to compile the virtualbox by myself. Therefor i read often the word "hardening". What is the meaning of this word?

regards Markus
Perryg
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Re: What is hardening?

Post by Perryg »

In general it sets the permission levels to be restrictive instead of loose.
feldmaus
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Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
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Re: What is hardening?

Post by feldmaus »

So that i need to be in the group vboxusers? (on a Linux system) And why should i disable this feature?
Perryg
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Re: What is hardening?

Post by Perryg »

Sort of. The only reason I can think of is if you are trying to develop in the source and able to run the code without packing. Normal users should not disable hardening.
noteirak
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Re: What is hardening?

Post by noteirak »

Typically, hardening means that a bunch of security checks will occur, and a very strict set of rules will apply for files location, security permissions, etc. Simply so the application doesn't break, and also to make sure no tempering is attempted.

If you are a USER, keep hardening enabled.
If you are a DEVELOPPER, you can turn off hardening to make your life much easier while coding.
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