Re: Perl->PHP Object Security

[Aaron Turner <aturner@linuxkb.org>]

On Thu, 20 Jan 2000, Jason Pincin wrote:

[snip]

> Here's the biggest problem I see.  The php object security relies heavily
> on http-auth to set $current_user.  Anytime anyone performs an action,
> $current_user is tested to insure they have the proper permissions to
> perform that action.  My PHP code assumes current user is correct, because
> render.php3 will only set $current_user to a non-anonymous user given a
> succesful http-authorization.  

OK.

> Now - if Perl script want to operate under this security model through the
> php-function gateway I'm creating, the gateway php script needs to set
> $current_user.

Yep.

>  For this to happen, we need a reliable and secure way for
> Perl to pass the current user objectID along with the function/action
> being done into the php gateway script. 

Why?  Why not have the user pass their username/password?  Kinda like how
the web based webupdate works.  You log in and click a button to publish.

> This HAS to be secure.  People
> cannot be able to falsify this passage or anything... because my php code
> is just going to ASSUME it's coming from a secure source... as it does
> with http-auth.  If you pass me in the object IDthat translates to "god"
> who can do ANYTHING, then the php scripot will allow you to delete
> KB-Root.  Not a good thing.  So now, you'll have to tell me how you'll
> verify the user, and how you'll pass that ID to the php gateway script.

Have your gateway script be able to do the user lookup like render.php3
does.

--
Aaron Turner, Core Developer       http://vodka.linuxkb.org/~aturner/
Linux Knowledge Base Organization  http://www.linuxkb.org/
Because world domination requires quality open documentation.
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