Beware xargs security holes

Paul Chamberlain tif at doorstop.austin.ibm.com
Wed Oct 17 00:24:46 AEST 1990


In article <4062:Oct1518:22:1290 at kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd at kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes:
>  find / -name '#*' -atime +7 -print | xargs rm
>lets a malicious user remove every file on the system.

If I understand, to do this a user would have to create a file
with a '/' in its name.  Is this possible on some systems?
The most malicious thing I can do with the above command is
remove a file that doesn't start with '#' that's in a
writable directory.

Twice (I think), you have asserted grave danger with find
and xargs.  I still don't see it.

Paul Chamberlain | I do NOT represent IBM.     tif at doorstop, sc30661 at ausvm6
512/838-7008     | ...!cs.utexas.edu!ibmaus!auschs!doorstop.austin.ibm.com!tif



More information about the Comp.unix.shell mailing list