Bugtraq mailing list archives

Re: pinelock.csh exploit


From: jbourne () ISLAND NET (Jim Bourne)
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 1997 11:17:48 -0800


On Tue, 2 Dec 1997, Roger Harrison ? wrote:

        There was something a while ago on bugtraq about pinelock
files and how they were mode 666.  This program I wrote takes this idea
and brings it a step further into an easy way to show why this is a
problem.  My program <pinelock.csh> allows you to log off a user or kill
one of their processes IF they open up a second session of pine.  It
isn't terribly useful, except for annoying a user.  However, if root opens
up two sessions of pine, I can think of some interesting processes and
daemons which might be killed.  Copies of this program will be stored
at http://kepler.poly.edu/~rharri01/.  Click on files and
then click on pinelock.csh. Have fun!

Not sure if this is the right thing to do, or if it will cause problems with
other parts of pine but there is a quick fix.

bash# diff env_unix.c~ env_unix.c
49c49
< static long lock_protection = 0666;
---
static long lock_protection = 0600;

this file can be found in imap/c-client under the source tree of pine-3.96
and leaves the lock file mode 600:
-rw-------   1 jbourne   users           4 Dec  6 11:16 .2.21200505


IMHO opening/leaving any file on the file system mode 666 is a bad idea, esp
if it's in a directory that has public write permissions.

Regards,
James Bourne


                        -Iconoclast
                        iconoclast () thepentagon com
--
James Bourne           |            E-Mail:             jbourne () island net
System Administrator   |            WWW:             http://www.island.net
Island Internet Inc.   |            Linux - The choice of a GNU generation



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