PHP Disclosure issue

From: PJD@portcullis-security.com
Date: Sat May 12 2001 - 23:24:43 PDT

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    > Hi guys
    > 
    > Recently we discovered a path disclosure vulnerability in PHP3. 
    > 
    > This issue has been discussed with the vendor, and further to this I
    > have included some of the comments made by them within this mail.
    > 
    > [Excerpt from mail to vendor]
    >  
    > On NT 4 Server with SP5 installed, running IIS4 with PHP 3 it possible
    > to request a nonexistent file and the response is an error which
    > returns the wwwroot e.g.  requesting the following in the browser -
    > 
    > Exploit example:
    >       
    > http://www.somewhere.com/notthere.php3 returns the following error in
    > the browser window -
    >       
    > Unable to open c:\<wwwroot\notthere.php3 in - on line 0 No Input file
    > specified
    > 
    > Having discussed this with the vendor, they have responded saying that
    > this is a configuration error, and is simply rectified by changing a
    > setting from the default  within the configuration .ini file. 
    > 
    > [Snippit from the response]
    > 
    > "I don't consider this as a security flaw;  The distributed
    > php.ini-dist includes the following information (for a few months, if
    > not  years):
    >    
    > display_errors  =   On  ; Print out errors (as a part of the output) ;
    > For production web sites, you're strongly
    > encouraged; to turn this feature off, and use error logging instead
    > (see below).; Keeping display_errors enabled on a production  web site
    > may reveal; security information to end users, such as file paths on
    > your Web server, your database schema or other  information
    >    
    > The fact that the full error information that helps you fix the
    > problem is not a flaw, and is not going to change.  PHP comes out of
    > the box for development-oriented audience;  You have to configure it
    > slightly
    > differently when you turn into production."
    > 
    > [End]
    > 
    > We see this as akin to the .idq type issue in IIS. Additionally, as
    > all errors are returned to the browser it could be possible to use
    > PHP3 to generate further errors that could output information on other
    > web resourses within that environment.
    > 
    > This discovery was made by John Clayton, from here at Portcullis.
    > 
    > Regards
    > 
    > Paul Docherty
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    > 
    



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