<Resolved> GetVirtualBox adding unwanted members to vboxusers group

[kjpetrie]

I suspect it's always done it, but it has now become an issue to me:

GetVirtualBox adds all users who can log in to a desktop to the vboxusers group, whether the system administrator thinks they should be there or not. This means every time I upgrade I get unwanted users added to the group and I have to remember to remove them again.

An upgrade script should not interfere with administrative decisions. Could the script be modified so it only creates the group and adds users if the group does not already exist?

Alternatively, perhaps it shouldn't populate the group at all and just instruct the user to add those users required to the group.

[Just17]

I must watch out for this ......  it seems I do not have this here, but am not certain.

I have 3 users and only one is a member of vboxusers ......  but one account was likely created after i updated vbox last .......  but the other user is a long established one .......

thanks for raising it ....  will keep a look-out when I next update vbox.

[pinoc]

GetVirtualBox adds all users who can log in to a desktop to the vboxusers group.

Yes, that makes perfect sense, has always been like that, and was setup this way by Tex. I don't see any reason why this should be changed as this is required to allow users to actually use VirtualBox. I will definitely not change this to instruct the user to add those users required to the group as such a move would be completely user-unfriendly and un-needed by 99.9 % of all users.
If you need to exclude some specific users from using VirtualBox then this is a specific need for you but not for the majority of all users, unless I completely misunderstand your point of course.
-p.

[kjpetrie]

I think you do misunderstand. My point is that upgrading an application should not change existing users' permissions or other configuration matters.

These are set by the user of the machine and should remain as set.

What the script does is reasonable for first installation, but not for an upgrade, where the user would expect the set-up to remain.

I have created a user for a special purpose which is exposed to the Internet, so I want to lock that user down, and I don't want my work undone at every upgrade.

What I think is needed is a test of whether vboxusers already exists, and if it does, just leave it as it is.

[pinoc]

What I think is needed is a test of whether vboxusers already exists, and if it does, just leave it as it is.

ok, done for the next update of getvirtualbox.
-p.

[kjpetrie]

Thank you.