Re: [RFC] Adding a challenge-response authentication method to git://

From: Stephen R. van den Berg <srb@cuci.nl>
Date: Aug 14, 2008, 11:07 UTC
Message-ID: <20080814110739.GI9680@cuci.nl>
In-Reply-To: <20080814082345.GQ10151@machine.or.cz>

Petr Baudis wrote:

>On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 12:48:05AM -0700, David Brown wrote:
>> The problem is that ssh ties you in very closely with the ability to
>> log into the machine.  It's also hard to limit what ssh allows while
>> still allowing some users more priveleges.

>Can you elaborate, in light of git-shell and Gitosis? What's the
>problem?

Well, I looked into gitosis, and it solves part of the problem, it has a few downsides though:

- It depends on Python for no particular reason (it might as well have
  been built using shellscripts only, or if need be Perl, since git
  already uses that); yet any extra dependency is creating an extra
  hurdle for portability and adoption.
- It does authentication magic without properly documenting why it does
  it properly.
- It explicitly warns that it needs PATH and PYTHON_PATH magic and that
  using it without setting those up has not been tested; this does not
  inspire confidence that the security of the solution is airtight.

Other than that, gitosis looks fairly good if you want to use public keys.

-- 
Sincerely,
           Stephen R. van den Berg.

"Hold still, while I inject you with SQL."