# Re: \[PATCH RFC 0/3\] drivers/char: remove /dev/kmem for good

- From: Steven Rostedt \<rostedt@goodmis.org\>
- Date: 2021-03-19 18:11:06 
- List: linux-api
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-api/2021/03/6308297
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-mm/2021/03/6307991/t.md

```text
On Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:34:49 +0100
David Hildenbrand [ref] wrote:

> Let's start a discussion if /dev/kmem is worth keeping around and
> fixing/maintaining or if we should just remove it now for good.

The last time I used /dev/kmem was in 2003. While in Germany, my home
firewall (in the US) got rooted. I could ssh into the box but had no way to
shut it down because the rootkit took over all those commands (luckily it
still allowed me to become root). I finally killed the box with:

 # ls -lR / > /dev/kmem

 ;-)

But today I have other means of killing the box (or at least crippling it).
Thus, it's obsolete in my book.

-- Steve
```