[CentOS] prevent users from fiddling with network?

Thu Sep 21 16:10:11 UTC 2017
Valeri Galtsev <galtsev at kicp.uchicago.edu>

Dear Experts,

"this is system from the hell!"

Than was my first reaction when I realized that logged in with GUI (X11)
user can turn off (and on) network interfaces. Without being in sudoers
file. Wow, this is scary to see on workstations I manage centrally. Even
though I did consider local user to be able to execute the command
"shutdown" (which distinguished RedHat and CentOS from other Linux
flavors: after all local user can yank power cord off the wall).

Sorry about my little rant above. Could someone point me into right
direction as to how do I disable the ability of (local, logged in through
X11) users to fiddle with network interfaces. Even worse, they can create
new profile and define for interfaces to behave differently... In the past
I could just add

USERCTL="no"

into interface ifcfg-... file inside /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts which
doesn't seen to have any effect on latest CentOS 7. What is my pilot error
here? (Ignorant in new shiny extremely MS Windows like for _ignorant_
person - me - system).


Thanks a lot for all your help!

Valeri


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Valeri Galtsev
Sr System Administrator
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago
Phone: 773-702-4247
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