diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Master/tlpkg/tlperl/lib/pods/perlsec.pod')
-rw-r--r-- | Master/tlpkg/tlperl/lib/pods/perlsec.pod | 521 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 521 deletions
diff --git a/Master/tlpkg/tlperl/lib/pods/perlsec.pod b/Master/tlpkg/tlperl/lib/pods/perlsec.pod deleted file mode 100644 index d8470eccccb..00000000000 --- a/Master/tlpkg/tlperl/lib/pods/perlsec.pod +++ /dev/null @@ -1,521 +0,0 @@ -=head1 NAME - -perlsec - Perl security - -=head1 DESCRIPTION - -Perl is designed to make it easy to program securely even when running -with extra privileges, like setuid or setgid programs. Unlike most -command line shells, which are based on multiple substitution passes on -each line of the script, Perl uses a more conventional evaluation scheme -with fewer hidden snags. Additionally, because the language has more -builtin functionality, it can rely less upon external (and possibly -untrustworthy) programs to accomplish its purposes. - -=head1 SECURITY VULNERABILITY CONTACT INFORMATION - -If you believe you have found a security vulnerability in Perl, please email -perl5-security-report@perl.org with details. This points to a closed -subscription, unarchived mailing list. Please only use this address for -security issues in the Perl core, not for modules independently distributed on -CPAN. - -=head1 SECURITY MECHANISMS AND CONCERNS - -=head2 Taint mode - -Perl automatically enables a set of special security checks, called I<taint -mode>, when it detects its program running with differing real and effective -user or group IDs. The setuid bit in Unix permissions is mode 04000, the -setgid bit mode 02000; either or both may be set. You can also enable taint -mode explicitly by using the B<-T> command line flag. This flag is -I<strongly> suggested for server programs and any program run on behalf of -someone else, such as a CGI script. Once taint mode is on, it's on for -the remainder of your script. - -While in this mode, Perl takes special precautions called I<taint -checks> to prevent both obvious and subtle traps. Some of these checks -are reasonably simple, such as verifying that path directories aren't -writable by others; careful programmers have always used checks like -these. Other checks, however, are best supported by the language itself, -and it is these checks especially that contribute to making a set-id Perl -program more secure than the corresponding C program. - -You may not use data derived from outside your program to affect -something else outside your program--at least, not by accident. All -command line arguments, environment variables, locale information (see -L<perllocale>), results of certain system calls (C<readdir()>, -C<readlink()>, the variable of C<shmread()>, the messages returned by -C<msgrcv()>, the password, gcos and shell fields returned by the -C<getpwxxx()> calls), and all file input are marked as "tainted". -Tainted data may not be used directly or indirectly in any command -that invokes a sub-shell, nor in any command that modifies files, -directories, or processes, B<with the following exceptions>: - -=over 4 - -=item * - -Arguments to C<print> and C<syswrite> are B<not> checked for taintedness. - -=item * - -Symbolic methods - - $obj->$method(@args); - -and symbolic sub references - - &{$foo}(@args); - $foo->(@args); - -are not checked for taintedness. This requires extra carefulness -unless you want external data to affect your control flow. Unless -you carefully limit what these symbolic values are, people are able -to call functions B<outside> your Perl code, such as POSIX::system, -in which case they are able to run arbitrary external code. - -=item * - -Hash keys are B<never> tainted. - -=back - -For efficiency reasons, Perl takes a conservative view of -whether data is tainted. If an expression contains tainted data, -any subexpression may be considered tainted, even if the value -of the subexpression is not itself affected by the tainted data. - -Because taintedness is associated with each scalar value, some -elements of an array or hash can be tainted and others not. -The keys of a hash are B<never> tainted. - -For example: - - $arg = shift; # $arg is tainted - $hid = $arg, 'bar'; # $hid is also tainted - $line = <>; # Tainted - $line = <STDIN>; # Also tainted - open FOO, "/home/me/bar" or die $!; - $line = <FOO>; # Still tainted - $path = $ENV{'PATH'}; # Tainted, but see below - $data = 'abc'; # Not tainted - - system "echo $arg"; # Insecure - system "/bin/echo", $arg; # Considered insecure - # (Perl doesn't know about /bin/echo) - system "echo $hid"; # Insecure - system "echo $data"; # Insecure until PATH set - - $path = $ENV{'PATH'}; # $path now tainted - - $ENV{'PATH'} = '/bin:/usr/bin'; - delete @ENV{'IFS', 'CDPATH', 'ENV', 'BASH_ENV'}; - - $path = $ENV{'PATH'}; # $path now NOT tainted - system "echo $data"; # Is secure now! - - open(FOO, "< $arg"); # OK - read-only file - open(FOO, "> $arg"); # Not OK - trying to write - - open(FOO,"echo $arg|"); # Not OK - open(FOO,"-|") - or exec 'echo', $arg; # Also not OK - - $shout = `echo $arg`; # Insecure, $shout now tainted - - unlink $data, $arg; # Insecure - umask $arg; # Insecure - - exec "echo $arg"; # Insecure - exec "echo", $arg; # Insecure - exec "sh", '-c', $arg; # Very insecure! - - @files = <*.c>; # insecure (uses readdir() or similar) - @files = glob('*.c'); # insecure (uses readdir() or similar) - - # In Perl releases older than 5.6.0 the <*.c> and glob('*.c') would - # have used an external program to do the filename expansion; but in - # either case the result is tainted since the list of filenames comes - # from outside of the program. - - $bad = ($arg, 23); # $bad will be tainted - $arg, `true`; # Insecure (although it isn't really) - -If you try to do something insecure, you will get a fatal error saying -something like "Insecure dependency" or "Insecure $ENV{PATH}". - -The exception to the principle of "one tainted value taints the whole -expression" is with the ternary conditional operator C<?:>. Since code -with a ternary conditional - - $result = $tainted_value ? "Untainted" : "Also untainted"; - -is effectively - - if ( $tainted_value ) { - $result = "Untainted"; - } else { - $result = "Also untainted"; - } - -it doesn't make sense for C<$result> to be tainted. - -=head2 Laundering and Detecting Tainted Data - -To test whether a variable contains tainted data, and whose use would -thus trigger an "Insecure dependency" message, you can use the -C<tainted()> function of the Scalar::Util module, available in your -nearby CPAN mirror, and included in Perl starting from the release 5.8.0. -Or you may be able to use the following C<is_tainted()> function. - - sub is_tainted { - local $@; # Don't pollute caller's value. - return ! eval { eval("#" . substr(join("", @_), 0, 0)); 1 }; - } - -This function makes use of the fact that the presence of tainted data -anywhere within an expression renders the entire expression tainted. It -would be inefficient for every operator to test every argument for -taintedness. Instead, the slightly more efficient and conservative -approach is used that if any tainted value has been accessed within the -same expression, the whole expression is considered tainted. - -But testing for taintedness gets you only so far. Sometimes you have just -to clear your data's taintedness. Values may be untainted by using them -as keys in a hash; otherwise the only way to bypass the tainting -mechanism is by referencing subpatterns from a regular expression match. -Perl presumes that if you reference a substring using $1, $2, etc., that -you knew what you were doing when you wrote the pattern. That means using -a bit of thought--don't just blindly untaint anything, or you defeat the -entire mechanism. It's better to verify that the variable has only good -characters (for certain values of "good") rather than checking whether it -has any bad characters. That's because it's far too easy to miss bad -characters that you never thought of. - -Here's a test to make sure that the data contains nothing but "word" -characters (alphabetics, numerics, and underscores), a hyphen, an at sign, -or a dot. - - if ($data =~ /^([-\@\w.]+)$/) { - $data = $1; # $data now untainted - } else { - die "Bad data in '$data'"; # log this somewhere - } - -This is fairly secure because C</\w+/> doesn't normally match shell -metacharacters, nor are dot, dash, or at going to mean something special -to the shell. Use of C</.+/> would have been insecure in theory because -it lets everything through, but Perl doesn't check for that. The lesson -is that when untainting, you must be exceedingly careful with your patterns. -Laundering data using regular expression is the I<only> mechanism for -untainting dirty data, unless you use the strategy detailed below to fork -a child of lesser privilege. - -The example does not untaint C<$data> if C<use locale> is in effect, -because the characters matched by C<\w> are determined by the locale. -Perl considers that locale definitions are untrustworthy because they -contain data from outside the program. If you are writing a -locale-aware program, and want to launder data with a regular expression -containing C<\w>, put C<no locale> ahead of the expression in the same -block. See L<perllocale/SECURITY> for further discussion and examples. - -=head2 Switches On the "#!" Line - -When you make a script executable, in order to make it usable as a -command, the system will pass switches to perl from the script's #! -line. Perl checks that any command line switches given to a setuid -(or setgid) script actually match the ones set on the #! line. Some -Unix and Unix-like environments impose a one-switch limit on the #! -line, so you may need to use something like C<-wU> instead of C<-w -U> -under such systems. (This issue should arise only in Unix or -Unix-like environments that support #! and setuid or setgid scripts.) - -=head2 Taint mode and @INC - -When the taint mode (C<-T>) is in effect, the "." directory is removed -from C<@INC>, and the environment variables C<PERL5LIB> and C<PERLLIB> -are ignored by Perl. You can still adjust C<@INC> from outside the -program by using the C<-I> command line option as explained in -L<perlrun>. The two environment variables are ignored because -they are obscured, and a user running a program could be unaware that -they are set, whereas the C<-I> option is clearly visible and -therefore permitted. - -Another way to modify C<@INC> without modifying the program, is to use -the C<lib> pragma, e.g.: - - perl -Mlib=/foo program - -The benefit of using C<-Mlib=/foo> over C<-I/foo>, is that the former -will automagically remove any duplicated directories, while the later -will not. - -Note that if a tainted string is added to C<@INC>, the following -problem will be reported: - - Insecure dependency in require while running with -T switch - -=head2 Cleaning Up Your Path - -For "Insecure C<$ENV{PATH}>" messages, you need to set C<$ENV{'PATH'}> to -a known value, and each directory in the path must be absolute and -non-writable by others than its owner and group. You may be surprised to -get this message even if the pathname to your executable is fully -qualified. This is I<not> generated because you didn't supply a full path -to the program; instead, it's generated because you never set your PATH -environment variable, or you didn't set it to something that was safe. -Because Perl can't guarantee that the executable in question isn't itself -going to turn around and execute some other program that is dependent on -your PATH, it makes sure you set the PATH. - -The PATH isn't the only environment variable which can cause problems. -Because some shells may use the variables IFS, CDPATH, ENV, and -BASH_ENV, Perl checks that those are either empty or untainted when -starting subprocesses. You may wish to add something like this to your -setid and taint-checking scripts. - - delete @ENV{qw(IFS CDPATH ENV BASH_ENV)}; # Make %ENV safer - -It's also possible to get into trouble with other operations that don't -care whether they use tainted values. Make judicious use of the file -tests in dealing with any user-supplied filenames. When possible, do -opens and such B<after> properly dropping any special user (or group!) -privileges. Perl doesn't prevent you from opening tainted filenames for reading, -so be careful what you print out. The tainting mechanism is intended to -prevent stupid mistakes, not to remove the need for thought. - -Perl does not call the shell to expand wild cards when you pass C<system> -and C<exec> explicit parameter lists instead of strings with possible shell -wildcards in them. Unfortunately, the C<open>, C<glob>, and -backtick functions provide no such alternate calling convention, so more -subterfuge will be required. - -Perl provides a reasonably safe way to open a file or pipe from a setuid -or setgid program: just create a child process with reduced privilege who -does the dirty work for you. First, fork a child using the special -C<open> syntax that connects the parent and child by a pipe. Now the -child resets its ID set and any other per-process attributes, like -environment variables, umasks, current working directories, back to the -originals or known safe values. Then the child process, which no longer -has any special permissions, does the C<open> or other system call. -Finally, the child passes the data it managed to access back to the -parent. Because the file or pipe was opened in the child while running -under less privilege than the parent, it's not apt to be tricked into -doing something it shouldn't. - -Here's a way to do backticks reasonably safely. Notice how the C<exec> is -not called with a string that the shell could expand. This is by far the -best way to call something that might be subjected to shell escapes: just -never call the shell at all. - - use English '-no_match_vars'; - die "Can't fork: $!" unless defined($pid = open(KID, "-|")); - if ($pid) { # parent - while (<KID>) { - # do something - } - close KID; - } else { - my @temp = ($EUID, $EGID); - my $orig_uid = $UID; - my $orig_gid = $GID; - $EUID = $UID; - $EGID = $GID; - # Drop privileges - $UID = $orig_uid; - $GID = $orig_gid; - # Make sure privs are really gone - ($EUID, $EGID) = @temp; - die "Can't drop privileges" - unless $UID == $EUID && $GID eq $EGID; - $ENV{PATH} = "/bin:/usr/bin"; # Minimal PATH. - # Consider sanitizing the environment even more. - exec 'myprog', 'arg1', 'arg2' - or die "can't exec myprog: $!"; - } - -A similar strategy would work for wildcard expansion via C<glob>, although -you can use C<readdir> instead. - -Taint checking is most useful when although you trust yourself not to have -written a program to give away the farm, you don't necessarily trust those -who end up using it not to try to trick it into doing something bad. This -is the kind of security checking that's useful for set-id programs and -programs launched on someone else's behalf, like CGI programs. - -This is quite different, however, from not even trusting the writer of the -code not to try to do something evil. That's the kind of trust needed -when someone hands you a program you've never seen before and says, "Here, -run this." For that kind of safety, you might want to check out the Safe -module, included standard in the Perl distribution. This module allows the -programmer to set up special compartments in which all system operations -are trapped and namespace access is carefully controlled. Safe should -not be considered bullet-proof, though: it will not prevent the foreign -code to set up infinite loops, allocate gigabytes of memory, or even -abusing perl bugs to make the host interpreter crash or behave in -unpredictable ways. In any case it's better avoided completely if you're -really concerned about security. - -=head2 Security Bugs - -Beyond the obvious problems that stem from giving special privileges to -systems as flexible as scripts, on many versions of Unix, set-id scripts -are inherently insecure right from the start. The problem is a race -condition in the kernel. Between the time the kernel opens the file to -see which interpreter to run and when the (now-set-id) interpreter turns -around and reopens the file to interpret it, the file in question may have -changed, especially if you have symbolic links on your system. - -Fortunately, sometimes this kernel "feature" can be disabled. -Unfortunately, there are two ways to disable it. The system can simply -outlaw scripts with any set-id bit set, which doesn't help much. -Alternately, it can simply ignore the set-id bits on scripts. - -However, if the kernel set-id script feature isn't disabled, Perl will -complain loudly that your set-id script is insecure. You'll need to -either disable the kernel set-id script feature, or put a C wrapper around -the script. A C wrapper is just a compiled program that does nothing -except call your Perl program. Compiled programs are not subject to the -kernel bug that plagues set-id scripts. Here's a simple wrapper, written -in C: - - #define REAL_PATH "/path/to/script" - main(ac, av) - char **av; - { - execv(REAL_PATH, av); - } - -Compile this wrapper into a binary executable and then make I<it> rather -than your script setuid or setgid. - -In recent years, vendors have begun to supply systems free of this -inherent security bug. On such systems, when the kernel passes the name -of the set-id script to open to the interpreter, rather than using a -pathname subject to meddling, it instead passes I</dev/fd/3>. This is a -special file already opened on the script, so that there can be no race -condition for evil scripts to exploit. On these systems, Perl should be -compiled with C<-DSETUID_SCRIPTS_ARE_SECURE_NOW>. The F<Configure> -program that builds Perl tries to figure this out for itself, so you -should never have to specify this yourself. Most modern releases of -SysVr4 and BSD 4.4 use this approach to avoid the kernel race condition. - -=head2 Protecting Your Programs - -There are a number of ways to hide the source to your Perl programs, -with varying levels of "security". - -First of all, however, you I<can't> take away read permission, because -the source code has to be readable in order to be compiled and -interpreted. (That doesn't mean that a CGI script's source is -readable by people on the web, though.) So you have to leave the -permissions at the socially friendly 0755 level. This lets -people on your local system only see your source. - -Some people mistakenly regard this as a security problem. If your program does -insecure things, and relies on people not knowing how to exploit those -insecurities, it is not secure. It is often possible for someone to -determine the insecure things and exploit them without viewing the -source. Security through obscurity, the name for hiding your bugs -instead of fixing them, is little security indeed. - -You can try using encryption via source filters (Filter::* from CPAN, -or Filter::Util::Call and Filter::Simple since Perl 5.8). -But crackers might be able to decrypt it. You can try using the byte -code compiler and interpreter described below, but crackers might be -able to de-compile it. You can try using the native-code compiler -described below, but crackers might be able to disassemble it. These -pose varying degrees of difficulty to people wanting to get at your -code, but none can definitively conceal it (this is true of every -language, not just Perl). - -If you're concerned about people profiting from your code, then the -bottom line is that nothing but a restrictive license will give you -legal security. License your software and pepper it with threatening -statements like "This is unpublished proprietary software of XYZ Corp. -Your access to it does not give you permission to use it blah blah -blah." You should see a lawyer to be sure your license's wording will -stand up in court. - -=head2 Unicode - -Unicode is a new and complex technology and one may easily overlook -certain security pitfalls. See L<perluniintro> for an overview and -L<perlunicode> for details, and L<perlunicode/"Security Implications -of Unicode"> for security implications in particular. - -=head2 Algorithmic Complexity Attacks - -Certain internal algorithms used in the implementation of Perl can -be attacked by choosing the input carefully to consume large amounts -of either time or space or both. This can lead into the so-called -I<Denial of Service> (DoS) attacks. - -=over 4 - -=item * - -Hash Function - the algorithm used to "order" hash elements has been -changed several times during the development of Perl, mainly to be -reasonably fast. In Perl 5.8.1 also the security aspect was taken -into account. - -In Perls before 5.8.1 one could rather easily generate data that as -hash keys would cause Perl to consume large amounts of time because -internal structure of hashes would badly degenerate. In Perl 5.8.1 -the hash function is randomly perturbed by a pseudorandom seed which -makes generating such naughty hash keys harder. -See L<perlrun/PERL_HASH_SEED> for more information. - -In Perl 5.8.1 the random perturbation was done by default, but as of -5.8.2 it is only used on individual hashes if the internals detect the -insertion of pathological data. If one wants for some reason emulate the -old behaviour (and expose oneself to DoS attacks) one can set the -environment variable PERL_HASH_SEED to zero to disable the protection -(or any other integer to force a known perturbation, rather than random). -One possible reason for wanting to emulate the old behaviour is that in the -new behaviour consecutive runs of Perl will order hash keys differently, -which may confuse some applications (like Data::Dumper: the outputs of two -different runs are no longer identical). - -B<Perl has never guaranteed any ordering of the hash keys>, and the -ordering has already changed several times during the lifetime of -Perl 5. Also, the ordering of hash keys has always been, and -continues to be, affected by the insertion order. - -Also note that while the order of the hash elements might be -randomised, this "pseudoordering" should B<not> be used for -applications like shuffling a list randomly (use List::Util::shuffle() -for that, see L<List::Util>, a standard core module since Perl 5.8.0; -or the CPAN module Algorithm::Numerical::Shuffle), or for generating -permutations (use e.g. the CPAN modules Algorithm::Permute or -Algorithm::FastPermute), or for any cryptographic applications. - -=item * - -Regular expressions - Perl's regular expression engine is so called NFA -(Non-deterministic Finite Automaton), which among other things means that -it can rather easily consume large amounts of both time and space if the -regular expression may match in several ways. Careful crafting of the -regular expressions can help but quite often there really isn't much -one can do (the book "Mastering Regular Expressions" is required -reading, see L<perlfaq2>). Running out of space manifests itself by -Perl running out of memory. - -=item * - -Sorting - the quicksort algorithm used in Perls before 5.8.0 to -implement the sort() function is very easy to trick into misbehaving -so that it consumes a lot of time. Starting from Perl 5.8.0 a different -sorting algorithm, mergesort, is used by default. Mergesort cannot -misbehave on any input. - -=back - -See L<http://www.cs.rice.edu/~scrosby/hash/> for more information, -and any computer science textbook on algorithmic complexity. - -=head1 SEE ALSO - -L<perlrun> for its description of cleaning up environment variables. |