These files are created by the BOINC API to support graphics for each application. They will only show up on projects that are using the newer BOINC graphics model. We are currently updating all of our existing applications to use this model, and all new applications starting with RICE will be released with this model.

Thanks,
armstrdj

Hi,

Cannot judge what your concerns exactly are, but here a page that explains the "sandboxing" as implemented under BOINC and MacIntosh specifically.

NRW(RICE), and DDDT & FAAH I think too, have been readied for BOINC 6, their version numbers starting with 6 are signifying this. Don't know how it will show when BOINC 6 is actually rolled out.

Client security and sandboxing
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Client_security_and_sandboxing

It might be a question needing Q&A at the Berkeley developers forum to assess the effect. http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/index.php

Sorry, it's weekend, so any programmers or tech reply will be Monday earliest.

My concern isn't related to sandboxing. WCG is unnecessarily creating world-writable files in world-readable directories. Any process can modify those files. That's a violation of the UNIX security model. Maybe the bug has no practical consequences in itself, though it certainly could, but if it's not taken seriously by the developers, that raises questions about whether I want this application running under remote control on my system, using my network connection and storage space, and doing who knows what.

Here's a specific example of why the files are dangerous. Suppose a user unwittingly installs a trojan controlled by some botnet. To avoid detection, the trojan caches data in the WCG temporary files, overwriting whatever is in them. There's no easy way to trace that data back to the user or process that created it.

And I have gotten a reply from the developer in question. He told me that WCG had brought it to his attention as well, they've discussed the possible problems concerned.

The actual security risk is negligible. About the worst mischief that a troublemaker could do would be to suspend running applications, and he would need to be logged in to the computer running BOINC.

However it is recognized that it is a nuisance for people running this security script, so they've added it to their list of things to change in the future. It won't be added to the upcoming BOINC 6.2.x release though, but in a later version.