PHP Security Question

[Patrick McDonnell]

Here's my situation: I'm working on a PHP application that adds user
accounts to my system. However, the PHP script runs on the webserver,
while the accounts need to be created on a different box, which I'll refer
to as "master". Right now, on "master" I have a script which can create
and destroy directories in /home, and set permissions, etc. The script is
run by a shell_exec(ssh master sudo homeDirManage.s h create $USER). I have
setup the web server user to be able to ssh to master without a password,
and use sudo to run homeDirManage.s h without a password. What I'm worried
about is that any other user able to put up their web page can do the exact
same thing, and delete home dirs. Is there a more secure way to do this?

[Michael Vilain]

Re: PHP Security Question

In article <BO2dna4r3r2smM rcRVn-uw@comcast.com> ,
Patrick McDonnell <pmcdonnell@mun cc.marmionacade my.org> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Here's my situation: I'm working on a PHP application that adds user
> accounts to my system. However, the PHP script runs on the webserver,
> while the accounts need to be created on a different box, which I'll refer
> to as "master". Right now, on "master" I have a script which can create
> and destroy directories in /home, and set permissions, etc. The script is
> run by a shell_exec(ssh master sudo homeDirManage.s h create $USER). I have
> setup the web server user to be able to ssh to master without a password,
> and use sudo to run homeDirManage.s h without a password. What I'm worried
> about is that any other user able to put up their web page can do the exact
> same thing, and delete home dirs. Is there a more secure way to do this?[/color]

How about sending an email, signed a special way with some sort of MD5
hash, that gives particulars on how to create the account to the remote
system. A script would execute, authenticate the hash, and perform the
account add or other action.

--
DeeDee, don't press that button! DeeDee! NO! Dee...

[Chung Leong]

Re: PHP Security Question


"Patrick McDonnell" <pmcdonnell@mun cc.marmionacade my.org> wrote in message
news:BO2dna4r3r 2smMrcRVn-uw@comcast.com. ..[color=blue]
> Here's my situation: I'm working on a PHP application that adds user
> accounts to my system. However, the PHP script runs on the webserver,
> while the accounts need to be created on a different box, which I'll refer
> to as "master". Right now, on "master" I have a script which can create
> and destroy directories in /home, and set permissions, etc. The script is
> run by a shell_exec(ssh master sudo homeDirManage.s h create $USER). I[/color]
have[color=blue]
> setup the web server user to be able to ssh to master without a password,
> and use sudo to run homeDirManage.s h without a password. What I'm worried
> about is that any other user able to put up their web page can do the[/color]
exact[color=blue]
> same thing, and delete home dirs. Is there a more secure way to do this?[/color]

Instead of the web server pushing the user info to the master, have the
master pull the info from the web server. As long as the page that master
reads is secured, there is no easy way for another user on the web server to
compromise the system.