Re: PHP Username & Password Detection From PSQL Database

Don't worry about using pg_escape_string - simply use addslashes(). Then
it's generic (ie you could easily port this to another db) and it's also
available in all versions =)

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-php-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org
[mailto:pgsql-php-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org] On Behalf Of Andrew McMillan
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 5:18 AM
To: Yasmine Kedoo
Cc: pgsql-php(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: [PHP] PHP Username & Password Detection From PSQL Database

On Thu, 2004-04-08 at 02:16, Yasmine Kedoo wrote:
>
> The username 'yamkedoo' and password 'yasmine' will give Successful
> Login.
> This works for all usernames and passwords in the database.
>
> Though if a different password is used, Access Denied is printed as
> well as
> an error, Warning: Unable to jump to row 0 on PostgreSQL result index
2 in
> /home/webpages/yamkedoo/Tests/brandnew.php on line 16, that I am
unable to
> solve. This applies for all incorrect passwords. Please view my code:

Note that your code is vulnerable to "SQL injection" exploit - what
happens if someone puts in a username of "'; DROP TABLE PatPerInfo;".
The earlier code I sent you included calls to pg_escape_string() to
avoid this problem. If that function is not implemented in your PHP
version (it's in 4.2 onwards, I think) you can implement something like
it yourself, fairly trivially:

function pg_escape_string($str) {
$str = str_replace("'", "''", $str);
$str = str_replace('\\', '\\\\', $str);
}

Also, see the error highlighted in your code below.

Regards,
Andrew McMillan

>
> <?php
> #Connects to the database
> $database = pg_Connect ("host=pgdbs.inf.brad.ac.uk dbname =
yamkedoo
> user =
> yamkedoo password = yamkedoo");
>
> if(!$database)
> {
> echo "Connection Failed<BR>";
> }
>
> else
> {
> #assign formusername from html form to
> $auth_user
> #assign formpassword from html form to

> $auth_pass
> $auth_user = trim($formusername);
> $auth_pass = trim($formpassword);
>
> $query = "SELECT * FROM PatPerInfo WHERE trim(username)
=
> '$auth_user' AND
> trim(password) = '$auth_pass'";
> $result = pg_exec($database, $query);
> $row = pg_fetch_object($result, $rw);

Here, you always try and fetch a row. You should check the count of rows
returned, and only try and fetch if there is one:

if ( !$result ) {
print "There was a problem accessing the database";
# do something here to log the application problem
}
else if ( pg_numrows($result) != 1 ) {
print "Access Denied";
# Possibly do something here to log the unauthorised access attempt }
else {
$row = pg_fetch_object($result, 0);
print "Successful Login";
}

>
> if($row)
> {
> print "Successful Login\n";
> }
>
> else
> {
> print "Access Denied\n";
> }
> }
>
> pg_close($database);

I never pg_close in my programs - the database will be closed
automatically when the page generation finishes, and that's fine.

>
> ?>
>
> If anyone can spot any mistakes, i will welcome suggestions ;-)
>
> Thanx
>
>
>
>
> >From: Andrew McMillan <andrew(at)catalyst(dot)net(dot)nz>
> >To: Yasmine Kedoo <yazkedoo(at)hotmail(dot)com>
> >CC: pgsql-php(at)postgresql(dot)org
> >Subject: Re: [PHP] PHP Username & Password Detection From PSQL
> >Database
> >Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 21:35:22 +1200
> >
> >On Wed, 2004-04-07 at 20:59, Yasmine Kedoo wrote:
> > > Hi.
> > >
> > > I am just beginning to work with PHP & PSQL so forgive me if i
> > > make
> >simple
> > > mistakes. :-)
> > >
> > > I created my PSQL database via telnet on my university's database
> >server. I
> > > have no problems retrieving and displaying certain data using PHP,

> > > but i
> >am
> > > unable to recognise a username and password entered via a
> > > predefined authentication variable, $PHP_AUTH_USER.
> > >
> > > The script must recognise the username: 'yamkedoo', and password:
> >'yasmine'.
> > > In the database, the username & password columns are spelt exactly

> > > as: 'username' & 'password'. The database name is 'yamkedoo', and
> > > the table
> >name
> > > is 'PatPerInfo', as can be seen from the following code:
> >
> >The example in the PHP manual is:
> >
> ><?php
> > if (!isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'])) {
> > header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="My Realm"');
> > header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
> > echo 'Text to send if user hits Cancel button';
> > exit;
> > } else {
> > echo "<p>Hello {$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']}.</p>";
> > echo "<p>You entered {$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW']} as your
> >password.</p>";
> > }
> >?>
> >
> >A couple of notes:
> >
> >1) You have <?PHP well down your page - you need this before the PHP
> >starts (like in the example above). Lowercase is also a lot more
> >normal (although probably uppercase still works).
> >
> >2) The example above shows the syntax for more recent PHP versions,
> >with some security features enabled (i.e. use of
> >$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] rather than $PHP_AUTH_USER) whether the
> >older syntax you have used below will work will depend on how the
> >installation was configured, to some extent, as well as the version
> >you are using.
> >
> >
> > >
> > > if(!isset($PHP_AUTH_USER))
> > > {
> > > Header("WWW-Authenticate: Basic
realm=\"Authentication\"");
> > > Header( "HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized");
> > >
> > > echo "No Login\n";
> > > exit;
> > > }
> > > else
> > > {
> > > echo "User: $PHP_AUTH_USER<BR>";
> > > echo "Password: $PHP_AUTH_PW<BR>";
> > > }
> > > <?PHP
> > > $database = pg_connect("host=pgdbs.inf.brad.ac.uk
dbname=yamkedoo
> > > user=yamkedoo password=yamkedoo");
> > >
> > > if(!$database)
> > > {
> > > print "Connection to database failed.";
> > > }
> > >
> > > else
> > > {
> > > $selectquery = "SELECT * FROM
PatPerInfo";
> > > $result = pg_exec($database,
> > > $selectquery);
> > >
> > > $maxrows = pg_numrows($result);
> > > $maxfields = pg_numfields($result);
> > >
> > > for ($rw = 0; $rw < $maxrows; $rw++)
> > > {
> >
> >Just as a suggestion you might want to consider:
> >
> >$row = pg_fetch_object($result, $rw);
> >if ( trim($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']) == trim($row->username)
> > trim($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW']) == trim($row->password) ) {
> > ...
> >
> >Actually, though, you can get the database to do it:
> >
> >$auth_user = pg_escape_string(trim($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']));
> >$auth_pass = pg_escape_string(trim($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW']));
> >$selectquery = "SELECT * FROM PatPerInfo
> > WHERE trim(username) = '$auth_user'
> > AND trim(password) = '$auth_pass'";
> >
> >$result = pg_exec( ...
> >
> >
> >Doing it this way you can simply see if you got back exactly one row,

> >and if you did then that should be the correct user record - no need
> >for PHP to inefficiently loop through all of the table looking.
> >
> >
> > > $username =
pg_Result($result,$rw,0);
> > > $password = pg_Result($result,$rw,1);
> > >
> >
> >Aren't you missing a comparison on the line below?
> >
> > > if( trim($PHP_AUTH_USER) ==
trim($username) && (trim($PHP_AUTH_PW))
> > > {
> > > $auth = 1;
> > > }
> > > }
> > >
> > > echo $auth;
> > > }
> > >
> > > if($auth==0)
> > > {
> > > print "Access Denied<BR>\n";
> > > exit;
> > > }
> > >
> > >
> > > ?>
> > >
> > > After the username and password, i get the following error: Parse
> > > error: parse error in /home/webpages/yamkedoo/Tests/referrals2.php

> > > on line 44.
> > >
> > > Please view te following link:
> > > http://www.cyber.brad.ac.uk/~yamkedoo/Tests/referrals2.php to see
> > > what
> >is
> > > happening.
> > > Only once has the authentication window appeared, and has not done

> > > so
> >since.
> > > It only gives the error as seen at the link.
> >
> >Once you have provided the correct credentials to basic auth, your
> >web browser will repeatedly provide them each time until you exit the

> >browser or cancel them.
> >
> >Most sites don't use Basic Authentication like the above - generally
> >some form of session is maintained through URL rewriting or cookies
> >since that allows a lot more control (and graphical design) fitting
> >the login process more smoothly into the web page.
> >
> >Regards,
> > Andrew.
> >
> >---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >----
> >Andrew @ Catalyst .Net .NZ Ltd, PO Box 11-053, Manners St,
Wellington
> >WEB: http://catalyst.net.nz/ PHYS: Level 2, 150-154
Willis St
> >DDI: +64(4)916-7201 MOB: +64(21)635-694 OFFICE:
+64(4)499-2267
> > http://survey.net.nz/ - any more questions?
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Andrew @ Catalyst .Net .NZ Ltd, PO Box 11-053, Manners St,
Wellington
WEB: http://catalyst.net.nz/ PHYS: Level 2, 150-154 Willis
St
DDI: +64(4)916-7201 MOB: +64(21)635-694 OFFICE:
+64(4)499-2267
The truth is rarely pure, and never simple. - Oscar Wilde
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