FreeBSD Security Advisory: FreeBSD-SA-00:06.htdig

[FreeBSD Security Officer]

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=============================================================================
FreeBSD-SA-00:06                                           Security Advisory
                                                                FreeBSD, Inc.

Topic:          htdig port allows remote reading of files

Category:       ports
Module:         htdig
Announced:      2000-03-01
Affects:        Ports collection before the correction date.
Corrected:      2000-02-28
FreeBSD only:   NO

I.   Background

The ht://Dig system is a complete world wide web indexing and searching
system for a small domain or intranet.

II.  Problem Description

There is a security hole in the htsearch cgi-bin program for versions of
htdig prior to 3.1.5, which allows remote users to read any file on the
local system that is accessible to the user ID running htsearch (usually
the user ID running the webserver process, user 'nobody' in the default
installation of apache).

Note that the htdig utility is not installed by default, nor is it "part
of FreeBSD" as such: it is part of the FreeBSD ports collection, which
contains over 3100 third-party applications in a ready-to-install format.

FreeBSD makes no claim about the security of these third-party
applications, although an effort is underway to provide a security audit
of the most security-critical ports.

III. Impact

If you have not chosen to install the htdig port/package, then your system
is not vulnerable. If you have, then local or remote users who can connect
to a web server which contains the htsearch cgi-bin executable can read
any file on your system which is accessible to the user running the
htsearch process (typically user nobody). It is not currently believed
that an attacker can exploit this hole to modify or delete files, but they
may be able to use the ability to read files to mount a further attack
based on other security holes they discover.

IV.  Workaround

Remove the /usr/local/share/apache/cgi-bin/htsearch file, if you do not
make use of it.

V.  Solution

One of the following:

1) Upgrade your entire ports collection and rebuild the htdig port.

2) Reinstall a new package obtained from:

ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-3-stable/textproc/htdig-3.1.5.tgz
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-4-current/textproc/htdig-3.1.5.tgz
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-4-current/textproc/htdig-3.1.5.tgz

(Note: it may be several days before the new packages appear on the FTP
site)

3) download a new port skeleton for the htdig port from:

http://www.freebsd.org/ports/

and use it to rebuild the port.

4) Use the portcheckout utility to automate option (3) above. The
portcheckout port is available in /usr/ports/devel/portcheckout or the
package can be obtained from:

ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-3-stable/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-4-current/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-4-current/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz

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