[Zope3-Users] Security alert: use of Through-the-Web reStructuredText

[Jim Fulton]

On Jul 8, 2006, at 11:49 AM, David Pratt wrote:

>
> Jim Fulton wrote:
>> Recently, a serious security flaw was found in Zope 2 due to it's  
>> improper support for allowing reStructuredText to be edited  
>> through-the-web.  reStructuredText has directives that allow  
>> inclusion of any file a Zope process could read and inclusion of  
>> data obtained from fetching arbitrary URLs.  In a trusted  
>> environment, these directives have legitimate uses.  The feature  
>> of including files and URL results should not be enabled for text  
>> entered from untrusted sources, which applies to most through-the- 
>> web interactions.
>
> Hi Jim. In the case of a wiki, it is the nature of a wiki that  
> folks are able to edit through the web.

But a wiki can be edited in other formats that restructured text.  
(Personally, I think
wikis should use tools like Epoz or Kupu to allow direct HTML  
editing, but
that's a different matter.


> Wouldn't data validation and any necessary alterations to the  
> directives some sense as opposed to removing it from the zope3 mix?

Sure, if someone is willing to do it and take responsibility.  Note  
that I'm not removing these from the release, because they've never  
been in the release.  I didn't even remove them from the repository,  
I just removed them from the Zope 3 tree.

I'm convinced that TTW reST can be safe with suitable attention to  
detail.
So far though, that hasn't happened.  No one has come forward yet and  
said
"I'll maintain this and be responsible for making sure we're secure  
wrt reST".

>> The recent hotfix:
>>   http://www.zope.org/Products/Zope/Hotfix-2006-07-05/ 
>> Hotfix-2006-07-05
>> addresses the problem for Zope 2.

Perhaps. We don't know for sure. We don't have tests.  We don't know  
if it can
be defeated using a reload product.  It is also a very crude fix. It  
prevents people
from creating add-ons that make legitimate use of file-inclusion or  
the raw
directive.  It was a great fix in an emergency -- and this was a  
serious emergency,
but I don't want to use such a fix in Zope 3.


>> It is safe to allow reStructuredText through the web with care.   
>> The inclusion of files or URL results can be disabled, but the  
>> programmer must explicitly disable the feature.  It is not  
>> disabled by default. It is also critical that a developer who  
>> exposes through-the-web reStructuredText have tests to verify that  
>> the file/url inclusion feature has been disabled.
>> Zope 3 itself, as released, doesn't have this problem because it  
>> doesn't allow reST entry through the web.  There are third-party  
>> applications, however, including 2 packages in the Zope 3  
>> subversion tree that do have this problem.  I strongly urge you to  
>> avoid using any Zope package that allows through-the-web input of  
>> reStructuredText unless you can verify that file/url has been  
>> properly disabled.
>> The zwiki and bugtracker packages do not currently disable file/ 
>> url inclusion and should not be used in situations in which users  
>> who are not highly trusted have access to these applications.
>
> Can you be explicit about the process of disabling file/url  
> inclusion for zope3 (if this is the critical point you are  
> making ). The use of restructured text is valuable in zope and  
> obviously it is important to understand security measures that  
> would allow its continued use.

The reStructuredText documentation gives instructions for disabling it.

But something this risk needs people to be responsible.  I'm not  
seeing that. I expect someone to come forward eventually.  Part of  
being responsible is writing reasonably extensive tests.

> If this can be done, why remove the products from the repository  
> tree? Would it not be better to apply the necessary fixes?  Many  
> thanks.

Because their presence in the Zope 3 tree put people at serious  
risk.  If someone
wants to work on them, great, and they can release them as add-on  
packages.

Jim

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