Geac ADVANCE library system security HOLE

From: GAVRILIS DIMITR (a98-4113at_private)
Date: Thu Apr 02 1998 - 00:04:26 PST

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    Gavrilis Dimitris (a98-4113at_private), student (freshman) at:
    
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    Electrical & Computer Engineering Department
    University of Patras, Greece
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    ==> This is the first time i write to BUGTRAQ. Excuse me if this has been
    ==> reported in the past or if it's too lame.
    
    While i was messing around with a Univeristy Library system (specifically
    a Geac ADVANCE (3.01) ) i was trying to shell out to UNIX (Geac Computer
    Corporation Limited is a company that makes UNIX based library automation
    systems for public, academic, and special libraries. For more information
    you can visit their website at http://www.geac.com) i tried some control characters and i noticed
    that if you press "CTRL-v", the library system shells out to some
    environment with a "::" prompt (i haven't tried to figure out what it is.).
    
    Then i tried some commands like "LS", "HELP", "CD" ... NO LUCK. Anyway, if
    you type "Q" the system shells you somewhere else with a ">" prompt.
    
    >From there you can do many things like type "HELP" to get some help on the
    system or you can try "HELP *" to see the hole manual!!! There are commands
    like "CHDIR" to change the current UNIX directory, or the "AVAIL" command
    to view the available disk space on the system. If you wanna exit the program
    and return to a UNIX envrinoment you can use the "QUIT" command but this one
    usually doesn't work (notice that you can get help on all these commands
    with the "HELP <COMMAND>"). Instead, you can use the "SH" or the "CSH"
    command to invoke a UNIX shell !!!
    
    This is very cool because you can obtain unauthorized access of the system.
    You can find Geac ADVANCE Library system usually on universities. I tried to
    do the same on a another version of the current program but it didn't work.
    I don't know if there is a fix on the current version.
    
    If there have been any reports in the past concerning the same hole, please
    mail to: BUGTRAQat_private / or to: a98-4113at_private .
    
                          :-) Live Long & Prosper (-:
    



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