/var/lib/boinc-client/ does not exist on my system. /var/lib is write protected, creating a directory there requires elevated privileges, which I'm sure happens during install from the repository.

Yes. I do the following dance whenever setting up BOINC from Ubuntu Software or LocutusOfBorg:

Join the root group: sudo adduser (Username) root
•	Join the BOINC group: sudo adduser (Username) boinc
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /etc/boinc-client
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /var/lib/boinc-client

I also do these to allow monitoring by BoincTasks over the LAN on my Win10 machine:

•	Copy “cc_config.xml” to /etc/boinc-client folder
•	Copy “gui_rpc_auth.cfg” to /etc/boinc-client folder
•	Reboot

The directory should be created wherever you run BOINC, that is not a problem.

Inside the /boinc-client directory, but it does not matter if this directory is in /var/lib/ or somewhere else.

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I do the following dance whenever setting up BOINC from Ubuntu Software or LocutusOfBorg:

Join the root group: sudo adduser (Username) root
•	Join the BOINC group: sudo adduser (Username) boinc
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /etc/boinc-client
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /var/lib/boinc-client

By doing so, you nullify your system's security provided by different access rights levels.
This practice should be avoided by all costs.

I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

Saw it when I was coaxing a new ACEMD3 task into life, so I won't know what it contains until tomorrow (unless I sacrifice my second machine, after lunch).

Could somebody please check whether the Ubuntu LTS repo has been updated as well? Maybe somebody read my complaint to boinc_alpha after all. Still no replies.

Edit - found the change log, but I'm none the wiser.

I do the following dance whenever setting up BOINC from Ubuntu Software or LocutusOfBorg:

Join the root group: sudo adduser (Username) root
•	Join the BOINC group: sudo adduser (Username) boinc
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /etc/boinc-client
•	Allow access by all:  sudo chmod -R 777 /var/lib/boinc-client

By doing so, you nullify your system's security provided by different access rights levels.
This practice should be avoided by all costs.

I am on an isolated network behind a firewall/router. No problem at all.

I am on an isolated network behind a firewall/router. No problem at all.

That qualifies as famous last words.

I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

All I know is that the new build does not work at all on Cosmology with VirtualBox 6.1.32. A work unit just suspends immediately on startup.

I am on an isolated network behind a firewall/router. No problem at all.

That qualifies as famous last words.

It has lasted for many years.

EDIT: They are all dedicated crunching machines. I have only BOINC and Folding on them. If they are a problem, I should pull out now.

I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

Could somebody please check whether the Ubuntu LTS repo has been updated as well? Maybe somebody read my complaint to boinc_alpha after all. Still no replies.

My Ubuntu 20.04.3 machines updated themselves this morning to v7.18.1 for the 3rd time.
(available version: 7.18.1+dfsg+202202041710~ubuntu20.04.1)

I am on an isolated network behind a firewall/router. No problem at all.

That qualifies as famous last words.

It has lasted for many years.

EDIT: They are all dedicated crunching machines. I have only BOINC and Folding on them. If they are a problem, I should pull out now.

In your scenario, it's not a problem.
It's dangerous to suggest that lazy solution to everyone, as their computers could be in a very different scenario.
https://pimylifeup.com/chmod-777/

I am on an isolated network behind a firewall/router. No problem at all.

That qualifies as famous last words.

It has lasted for many years.

EDIT: They are all dedicated crunching machines. I have only BOINC and Folding on them. If they are a problem, I should pull out now.

In your scenario, it's not a problem.
It's dangerous to suggest that lazy solution to everyone, as their computers could be in a very different scenario.
https://pimylifeup.com/chmod-777/

You might as well carry your warnings over to the Windows crowd, which doesn't have much security at all.

You might as well carry your warnings over to the Windows crowd, which doesn't have much security at all.

Excuse me?

You might as well carry your warnings over to the Windows crowd, which doesn't have much security at all.

Excuse me?

What comparable isolation do you get in Windows from one program to another?
Or what security are you talking about? Port security from external sources?

You might as well carry your warnings over to the Windows crowd, which doesn't have much security at all.

Excuse me?

What comparable isolation do you get in Windows from one program to another?

Security descriptors introduced into the NTFS 1.2 file system released in 1996 with Windows NT 4.0. The access control lists in NTFS are more complex in some aspects than in Linux. All modern Windows use NTFS by default.
User Account Control is introduced in 2007 with Windows Vista (=apps doesn't run as administrator even if the user has administrative privileges until the user elevates it through an annoying popup)

Or what security are you talking about? Port security from external sources?

Windows firewall is introced with Windows XP SP2 in 2004.

This is my last post in this thread about (undermining) filesystem security.

I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

Could somebody please check whether the Ubuntu LTS repo has been updated as well? Maybe somebody read my complaint to boinc_alpha after all. Still no replies.

My Ubuntu 20.04.3 machines updated themselves this morning to v7.18.1 for the 3rd time.
(available version: 7.18.1+dfsg+202202041710~ubuntu20.04.1)

Updated my second machine. It appears that this re-release is NOT releated to the systemd problem: the PrivateTmp=true line is still commented out.

Re-apply the fix (#1) from message 58312 after applying this update, if you wish to continue running the Python test apps.

I think you are correct, except in the term "undermining", which is not appropriate for isolated crunching machines. There is a billion-dollar AV industry for Windows. Apparently someone has figured out how to undermine it there. But I agree that no more posts are necessary.

EDIT: I probably should have said that it was only for isolated crunching machines at the outset. If I were running a server, I would do it differently.

While chmod 777-ing in general is a bad practice. There’s little harm in blowing up the BOINC directory like that. Worst that can happen is you modify or delete a necessary file by accident and break BOINC. Just reinstall and learn the lesson. Not the end of the world in this instance.

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I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

Saw it when I was coaxing a new ACEMD3 task into life, so I won't know what it contains until tomorrow (unless I sacrifice my second machine, after lunch).

Could somebody please check whether the Ubuntu LTS repo has been updated as well? Maybe somebody read my complaint to boinc_alpha after all. Still no replies.

Edit - found the change log, but I'm none the wiser.

Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS is still on the older 7.16.6 version.

apt list boinc-client
Listing... Done
boinc-client/focal 7.16.6+dfsg-1 amd64

I see that the BOINC PPA distribution has been updated yet again - still v7.18.1, but a new build timed at 17:10 yesterday, 4 February.

Could somebody please check whether the Ubuntu LTS repo has been updated as well? Maybe somebody read my complaint to boinc_alpha after all. Still no replies.

My Ubuntu 20.04.3 machines updated themselves this morning to v7.18.1 for the 3rd time.
(available version: 7.18.1+dfsg+202202041710~ubuntu20.04.1)

Curious how your Ubuntu release got this newer version. I did a sudo apt update and apt list boinc-client and apt show boinc-client and still come up with older 7.16.6 version.

I think they use a different PPA, not the standard Ubuntu version.

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