Adobe Acrobat creates world writable ~/AdobeFnt.lst files

[Michael Paoli <michael1cat () yahoo com>]

Adobe Acrobat creates world writable ~/AdobeFnt.lst files

This problem is present in at least the Linux version:
ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/acrobatreader/unix/4.x/linux-ar-405.tar.gz

Even with umask as restrictive as 077, the Adobe binary explicitly
creates and changes the AdobeFnt.lst file in the HOME directory to be
world (and group) writable.

Work-arounds are possible, such as by using wrapper script(s).  Note
that direct patching of the Adobe binary would apparently conflict with
the Adobe license.

Vendor notified: on or before 2001-03-02

references/excerpts:
ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/acrobatreader/unix/4.x/linux-ar-405.tar.gz
http://www.google.com/search?q=AdobeFnt.lst+security&btnG=Google+Search
http://bugs.debian.org/acroread
ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/non-free/a/acroread/acroread_4.05-4.diff.gz
http://www.wiretrip.net/rfp/policy.html

example work-around wrappers (use at your own risk, standard disclaimers
apply ...):
########################################################################
if [ ! -e $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst ]; then 
  # AcroRead will happily create a world writable AdobeFnt.lst ... 
  trap "rm -f $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst" 0 
  ln -s /dev/null $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst 
fi 
########################################################################
#wrapper stuff to work around world writable ~/AdobeFnt.lst issues

#directory we'll use, relative to HOME, to work around the problem
kludgedir=.AdobeFnt.security_kludge_dir

#check HOME isn't null
[ X"$HOME" != X ] || {
        1>&2 echo "$0: HOME is unset or null - aborting"
        exit 1
}

#if pathname for our kludge directory exists
if >>/dev/null 2>&1 ls -d "$HOME/$kludgedir"
then
        #check that it's properly secured
        2>>/dev/null ls -lLd "$HOME/$kludgedir" | >>/dev/null 2>&1 grep '^d....--.--' || {
                #not properly secured, complain and exit
                1>&2 echo "$0: found $HOME/$kludgedir but expecting directory with no group or world write or execute 
permissions - aborting"
                exit 1
        }
else
        #"$HOME/$kludgedir" doesn't exist, make it
        (umask 077 && mkdir -p "$HOME/$kludgedir")
        #we should have properly secure "$HOME/$kludgedir" at this point, verify
        2>>/dev/null ls -lLd "$HOME/$kludgedir" | >>/dev/null 2>&1 grep '^d....--.--' || {
                1>&2 echo "$0: unable to create properly secured $HOME/$kludgedir - aborting"
                exit 1
        }
fi

#does "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst exist in any form?
if >>/dev/null 2>&1 ls -d "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst
then
        #"$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst may already be set up properly - check
        if [ X"`2>>/dev/null ls -ld "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst | sed -ne 's/^l.* -> \(.*\)/\1/p'`" != 
X"$kludgedir"/AdobeFnt.lst ]
        then
                #it's not what we were hoping for ... is it ordinary file?
                if [ ! -L "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst -a -f "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst ]
                then
                        rm -f "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst
                        #is it gone?
                        [ ! -f "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst ] || {
                                1>&2 echo "$0: failed to remove $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst file - aboring"
                                exit 1
                        }
                        ln -s "$kludgedir"/AdobeFnt.lst "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst
                        #test that "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst has been set up properly
                        [ X"`2>>/dev/null ls -ld "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst | sed -ne 's/^l.* -> \(.*\)/\1/p'`" = 
X"$kludgedir"/AdobeFnt.lst ] || {
                                1>&2 echo "$0: failed to create proper secure $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst - aborting"
                                exit 1
                        }
                else
                        1>&2 echo "$0: $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst isn't set up as we need it, please remove it - aborting"
                        exit 1
                fi
        fi
else
        ln -s "$kludgedir"/AdobeFnt.lst "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst
        #test that "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst has been set up properly
        [ X"`2>>/dev/null ls -ld "$HOME"/AdobeFnt.lst | sed -ne 's/^l.* -> \(.*\)/\1/p'`" = X"$kludgedir"/AdobeFnt.lst 
] || {
                1>&2 echo "$0: failed to create proper secure $HOME/AdobeFnt.lst - aborting"
                exit 1
        }
fi

#we're done with the kludgedir shell variable
unset kludgedir
########################################################################

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