Common Gateway Interface Interface (CGI) Access
Impact
Older Web server implementations contained CGI scripts that would allow the user to access files and
execute commands on the server. However, these scripts did not adequately address security and
are exploited to (1) download system and user files, (2) execute commands as the Web
administrator and (3) contaminate Web pages.
Background
Security vulnerabilities have been reported in numerous CGI scripts, including
webdist.cgi (SGI), handler.cgi (SGI),
phf, htmlscript, view-source, and
php.cgi. These scripts can provide the malicious user access to data and
programs on the Web server host.
Resolution
Vendor and Web server patches to protect against this vulnerability are available from Silicon
Graphics Inc., the Apache Group, and NCSA,
and should be applied as soon as possible. A workaround to this problem is to
remove the execute permissions on the offending scripts to prevent their
exploitation. If the scripts are not required, they should be removed from the system.
Where can I read more about this?
You may read more about this vulnerability in
CERT Advisory 97.12. For those interested in reading more about general WWW security and
secure CGI programming, visit the
World Wide Web Security FAQ.