"Cthulhu xhAze" - Command execution in Ans.pl

["b0iler _" <b0iler@hotmail.com>]

#!/exploit/by/b0iler
# script name: Ans.PL
# Primary author of script: Avenger
# script url: http://ans.gq.nu/

"Avenger's News System (ANS) is a PERL-based solution to creating an 
easy-to-update and easy-to-maintain web site. Instead of constantly 
uploading new news pages and wrestling with HTML, you can post stuff via a 
web-based form."

The variable $QUERY is defined in the config file as:
<define QUERY>"$ENV{'QUERY_STRING'}"

When the script is ran it checks for a post, then it checks for a plugin.  
The problem is in the plugin subroutine:

  if (substr($QUERY, 0, 2) eq "p=")
  {
    $plugin = substr((split /&/, $QUERY)[0], 2);
    if (index("$QUERY", "&") < 0) { $QUERY = ""; }
                             else { $QUERY = substr($QUERY, index("$QUERY", 
"&")+1); }

    open (PLUGIN, "$FILE_LOCATION/$plugin");
    @plugin = <PLUGIN>;
    close (PLUGIN);

    eval("@plugin");
    exit;
  }

No input filtering is done on user input so command execution is possible.

Exploit: ans.pl?p=../../../../bin/command argument|&blah

Fix: Filter meta characters, .., and use < << > >> when calling open().

replace above code with this:

if (substr($QUERY, 0, 2) eq "p="){
	$QUERY =~ s/([\&;\`'\\\|"*?~<>^\(\)\[\]\{\}\$\n\r])/\\$1/g; #filter meta 
characters
	$QUERY =~ s/\.\.//g; #filter double dot (..)
	$plugin = substr((split /&/, $QUERY)[0], 2);
	if (index("$QUERY", "&") < 0) { $QUERY = ""; }
		else { $QUERY = substr($QUERY, index("$QUERY", "&")+1); }

	open (PLUGIN, "<$FILE_LOCATION/$plugin");  #added a < to the open() - 
readonly
	@plugin = <PLUGIN>;
	close (PLUGIN);

	eval("@plugin");
	exit;
}

I attempted to contact the author on 2/1/02 but they haven't responded.


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