Re: [SPAM] Password strength bug

Tonix - Antonio Nati <[email protected]> Mon, 21 Sep 2015 15:26:42 +0200
Newsgroups gmane.mail.vpopmail
Message-ID <[email protected]>
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Il 21/09/2015 14:59, Drew Wells ha scritto:
> On 09/17/2015 12:28 PM, Tonix - Antonio Nati wrote:
>> Il 17/09/2015 13:18, Drew Wells ha scritto:
>>> On 09/15/2015 03:27 PM, Tonix - Antonio Nati wrote:
>>>> Il 15/09/2015 15:03, Drew Wells ha scritto:
>>>>> On 09/15/2015 11:00 AM, Tonix - Antonio Nati wrote:
>>>>>> Il 15/09/2015 11:03, Drew Wells ha scritto:
>>>>>>> In vpopmail-5.5.0 there seems to be a bug in vpopmail.c where 
>>>>>>> the password strength is checked even if a password isn't used 
>>>>>>> (such as when -e is used to add the encrypted password).  Patch 
>>>>>>> attached.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I do not understand the problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Of course password strenght is checked every time, and if it 
>>>>>> founds a null/empty password it gives error back if password must 
>>>>>> have a minimum lenght.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Your patch instead permit to have null password even if strenght 
>>>>>> policy would not allow it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tonino
>>>>> The problem is is that vadduser.c can call vadduser() (in 
>>>>> vpopmail.c) without a password.  It does this in the situation 
>>>>> where vadduser.c has had the options "-e" or "-n" passed to it, so 
>>>>> if this is the case the password can't be checked againts the 
>>>>> password strength rules.  The underlying function vadduser() needs 
>>>>> to be able to add a user with no password.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I realize additional controls are done before calling vadduser(); 
>>>> but I personally would prefer an explicit parameter added to 
>>>> vadduser for avoiding password check (it may be a further parameter 
>>>> having default = "check").
>>>> It would make developers more protected against unwanted security bugs.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Tonino
>>>>
>>> I agree that it would be better to explicitly indicate to vadduser() 
>>> that no password is wanted.  I even looked quicky at setting the 
>>> password to NULL to indicate no password, but both this and an 
>>> explicit parameter would need changes to all the backends, so have 
>>> left it as is for now.
>>
>> It could be done in two ways:
>>
>>   * considering most od c compilers are c++ compilers, and that means
>>     we can add an implicit parameter (, nocheck_pwd = 0)
>>   * duplicate the function for this usage, and call the duplicated
>>     function from avdduser when needed.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Tonino
>>
> I have looked at the backends and it turns out that some of the 
> backends can handle a NULL gecos, so expanding on this I have changed 
> all the backends to be able to handle a NULL gecos (in which case they 
> now all use the user as a gecos) and also handle a NULL password.  So 
> vadduser.c can pass a NULL password to vadduser(), vadduser() can then 
> check the password_strength() when the password is not NULL.

I think that permitting a null password, if policy does not admit it, is 
a security hole.
Prefer you you add another explicit call to be called for no password 
checking (at all).

Regards,

Tonino


>
> This is going to be the patch I use here, does anyone want this patch ?
>  


-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
         Inter@zioni            Interazioni di Antonio Nati
    http://www.interazioni.it      [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------



!DSPAM:5600059741551931516382!

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    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Il 21/09/2015 14:59, Drew Wells ha
      scritto:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]" type="cite">
      <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
        http-equiv="Content-Type">
      <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 09/17/2015 12:28 PM, Tonix -
        Antonio Nati wrote:<br>
      </div>
      <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]" type="cite">
        <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
          http-equiv="Content-Type">
        <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Il 17/09/2015 13:18, Drew Wells ha
          scritto:<br>
        </div>
        <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]"
          type="cite">
          <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
            http-equiv="Content-Type">
          <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 09/15/2015 03:27 PM, Tonix -
            Antonio Nati wrote:<br>
          </div>
          <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]"
            type="cite">
            <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
              http-equiv="Content-Type">
            <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Il 15/09/2015 15:03, Drew Wells
              ha scritto:<br>
            </div>
            <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]"
              type="cite">
              <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
                http-equiv="Content-Type">
              <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 09/15/2015 11:00 AM, Tonix
                - Antonio Nati wrote:<br>
              </div>
              <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]"
                type="cite">
                <meta content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-15"
                  http-equiv="Content-Type">
                <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Il 15/09/2015 11:03, Drew
                  Wells ha scritto:<br>
                </div>
                <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]"
                  type="cite">In vpopmail-5.5.0 there seems to be a bug
                  in vpopmail.c where the password strength is checked
                  even if a password isn't used (such as when -e is used
                  to add the encrypted password).  Patch attached. <br>
                  <br>
                  <br>
                  <br>
                </blockquote>
                <br>
                <br>
                <font size="-1"><font face="Verdana">I do not understand
                    the problem.<br>
                    <br>
                    Of course password strenght is checked every time,
                    and if it founds a null/empty password it gives
                    error back if password must have a minimum lenght.<br>
                    <br>
                    Your patch instead permit to have null password even
                    if strenght policy would not allow it.<br>
                    <br>
                    Regards,<br>
                    <br>
                    Tonino</font></font><br>
              </blockquote>
              The problem is is that vadduser.c can call vadduser() (in
              vpopmail.c) without a password.  It does this in the
              situation where vadduser.c has had the options "-e" or
              "-n" passed to it, so if this is the case the password
              can't be checked againts the password strength rules.  The
              underlying function vadduser() needs to be able to add a
              user with no password.<br>
              <br>
            </blockquote>
            <br>
            I realize additional controls are done before calling
            vadduser(); but I personally would prefer an explicit
            parameter added to vadduser for avoiding password check (it
            may be a further parameter having default = "check").<br>
            It would make developers more protected against unwanted
            security bugs.<br>
            <br>
            Regards,<br>
            <br>
            Tonino<br>
            <br>
          </blockquote>
          I agree that it would be better to explicitly indicate to
          vadduser() that no password is wanted.  I even looked quicky
          at setting the password to NULL to indicate no password, but
          both this and an explicit parameter would need changes to all
          the backends, so have left it as is for now.<br>
        </blockquote>
        <br>
        It could be done in two ways:<br>
        <ul>
          <li>considering most od c compilers are c++ compilers, and
            that means we can add an implicit parameter (, nocheck_pwd =
            0)</li>
          <li>duplicate the function for this usage, and call the
            duplicated function from avdduser when needed.</li>
        </ul>
        <p>Regards,<br>
          <br>
          Tonino<br>
        </p>
      </blockquote>
      I have looked at the backends and it turns out that some of the
      backends can handle a NULL gecos, so expanding on this I have
      changed all the backends to be able to handle a NULL gecos (in
      which case they now all use the user as a gecos) and also handle a
      NULL password.  So vadduser.c can pass a NULL password to
      vadduser(), vadduser() can then check the password_strength() when
      the password is not NULL.<br>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    I think that permitting a null password, if policy does not admit
    it, is a security hole.<br>
    Prefer you you add another explicit call to be called for no
    password checking (at all).<br>
    <br>
    Regards,<br>
    <br>
    Tonino<br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <blockquote cite="mid:[email protected]" type="cite">
      <br>
      This is going to be the patch I use here, does anyone want this
      patch ?<br>
      
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    <br>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
        Inter@zioni            Interazioni di Antonio Nati 
   <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.interazioni.it">http://www.interazioni.it</a>      <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>           
------------------------------------------------------------
</pre>
  
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