Rush Hour: Newest GNU Restricted User Shell

Jan 20, 2009

The latest stable release of the GNU Restricted User Shell (Rush), version 1.5, includes new configuration offerings and a notification feature.

The new GNU Rush allows UNIX and Linux admins to control the users' command line functions, such as limited access to version control systems and data uploads. Rush can also work in a chroot environment for tighter security, where the admin sets up access rules in the configuration file.

The new "include" directive in version 1.5 allows the configuration rules to apply to multiple files. The developers also introduced a new security mechanism whereby the program reports if the configuration file (or an included file) is owned by root and not writeable by other users. Rush takes on the task only when all security measures are met. A standard configuration is available for compilation into the Rush binaries.

The new Rush also provides post-process notification of configuration rules over INET or UNIX sockets, such as of termination of user sessions. As to internationalization, Rush 1.5 adds Polish and Ukrainian to its languages.

The program is a product of the GNU Project and is under GPLv3 license. A source tarball is available here.

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