Secure file upload in PHP web applications

Submitted by alla on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 14:55

This is an old paper I wrote about vulnerabilities in file upload implementations in PHP web applications. The web site it used to live on no longer exists, so I thought I repost it here to have it close at hand. It is relevant to other web application technologies (Java, .NET, etc.) but all the examples are for PHP.

Introduction

Various web applications allow users to upload files. Web forums let users upload avatars. Photo galleries let users upload pictures. Social networking web sites may allow uploading pictures, videos, etc. Blog sites allow uploading avatars and/or pictures.

Providing file upload function without opening security holes proved to be quite a challenge in PHP web applications. The applications we have tested suffered from a variety of security problems, ranging from arbitrary file disclosure to remote arbitrary code execution. In this article I am going to point out various security holes occurring in file upload implementations and suggest a way to implement a secure file upload.

Secure File Upload in PHP Web Applications - download PDF

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