[Zope] protecting users from hostile authors

[Kyler B. Laird]

On Sun, 26 Aug 2001 19:10:59 +0200 (CEST) you wrote:

> > When I think of how to prevent this, use of the
> > "Referer" header jumps out, but I don't send it from 
> > some of my browsers.
>Not so easy. Because, I often may want to call "manage_XXX"
>from somewhere different from "manage_XXXForm"....

I suspect that you probably *usually* call it from
the same folder or something "nearby" (not from a
subfolder of the folder's parent...).  At the very
least, you call it from a "page" that you own (or
a page generated by an object you own, etc.).

> > Other possibilities include use
> > of cookies, but I don't even like the current
> > dependency on them.
>Would it help?

A cookie could be generated when visiting a
management page.  That cookie would be required
for management actions on that page.

>You would attack only when the necessary cookie is there.

You could play with expiration times to get it
to help a little bit, but I don't see it as a
"solution" and it's *way* too messy for me to
be interested in pursuing.

> > Any clever thoughts?
>Attack this problem by non-technical means.

Yup.  I'm all for leaving policy enforcement to
people.  I just want to be sure that I'm taking
"reasonable" steps to prevent chaos.

>They are your authors, aren't they?

Have you worked with students recently?

Thank you.

--kyler