Related
I have a php file which I will be using as exclusively as an include. Therefore I would like to throw an error instead of executing it when it's accessed directly by typing in the URL instead of being included.
Basically I need to do a check as follows in the php file:
if ( $REQUEST_URL == $URL_OF_CURRENT_PAGE ) die ("Direct access not premitted");
Is there an easy way to do this?
Add this to the page that you want to only be included
<?php
if(!defined('MyConst')) {
die('Direct access not permitted');
}
?>
then on the pages that include it add
<?php
define('MyConst', TRUE);
?>
The easiest way for the generic "PHP app running on an Apache server that you may or may not fully control" situation is to put your includes in a directory and deny access to that directory in your .htaccess file. To save people the trouble of Googling, if you're using Apache, put this in a file called ".htaccess" in the directory you don't want to be accessible:
Deny from all
If you actually have full control of the server (more common these days even for little apps than when I first wrote this answer), the best approach is to stick the files you want to protect outside of the directory that your web server is serving from. So if your app is in /srv/YourApp/, set the server to serve files from /srv/YourApp/app/ and put the includes in /srv/YourApp/includes, so there literally isn't any URL that can access them.
I have a file that I need to act differently when it's included vs when it's accessed directly (mainly a print() vs return()) Here's some modified code:
if(count(get_included_files()) ==1) exit("Direct access not permitted.");
The file being accessed is always an included file, hence the == 1.
1: Checking the count of included files
if( count(get_included_files()) == ((version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.0.0', '>='))?1:0) )
{
exit('Restricted Access');
}
Logic: PHP exits if the minimum include count isn't met. Note that prior to PHP5, the base page is not considered an include.
2: Defining and verifying a global constant
// In the base page (directly accessed):
define('_DEFVAR', 1);
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
Logic: If the constant isn't defined, then the execution didn't start from the base page, and PHP would stop executing.
Note that for the sake of portability across upgrades and future changes, making this authentication method modular would significantly reduce the coding overhead as the changes won't need to be hard-coded to every single file.
// Put the code in a separate file instead, say 'checkdefined.php':
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
// Replace the same code in the include files with:
require_once('checkdefined.php');
This way additional code can be added to checkdefined.php for logging and analytical purposes, as well as for generating appropriate responses.
Credit where credit is due: The brilliant idea of portability came from this answer. However there is one con to this method. Files in different folders may require different addresses to address this file. And server root based addressing may not work if you're running the current website from within a subfolder of the main site.
3: Remote address authorisation
// Call the include from the base page(directly accessed):
$includeData = file_get_contents("http://127.0.0.1/component.php?auth=token");
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
$src = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']; // Get the source address
$auth = authoriseIP($src); // Authorisation algorithm
if( !$auth ) exit('Restricted Access');
The drawback with this method is isolated execution, unless a session-token provided with the internal request. Verify via the loop-back address in case of a single server configuration, or an address white-list for a multi-server or load-balanced server infrastructure.
4: Token authorisation
Similar to the previous method, one can use GET or POST to pass an authorization token to the include file:
if($key!="serv97602"){header("Location: ".$dart);exit();}
A very messy method, but also perhaps the most secure and versatile at the same time, when used in the right way.
5: Webserver specific configuration
Most servers allow you to assign permissions for individual files or directories. You could place all your includes in such restricted directories, and have the server configured to deny them.
For example in APACHE, the configuration is stored in the .htaccess file. Tutorial here.
Note however that server-specific configurations are not recommended by me because they are bad for portability across different web-servers. In cases like Content Management Systems where the deny-algorithm is complex or the list of denied directories is rather big, it might only make reconfiguration sessions rather gruesome. In the end it's best to handle this in code.
6: Placing includes in a secure directory OUTSIDE the site root
Least preferred because of access limitations in server environments, but a rather powerful method if you have access to the file-system.
//Your secure dir path based on server file-system
$secure_dir=dirname($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR."secure".DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
include($secure_dir."securepage.php");
Logic:
The user cannot request any file outside the htdocs folder as the links would be outside the scope of the website's address system.
The php server accesses the file-system natively, and hence can access files on a computer just like how a normal program with required privileges can.
By placing the include files in this directory, you can ensure that the php server gets to access them, while hotlinking is denied to the user.
Even if the webserver's filesystem access configuration wasn't done properly, this method would prevent those files from becoming public accidentally.
Please excuse my unorthodox coding conventions. Any feedback is appreciated.
The best way to prevent direct access to files is to place them outside of the web-server document root (usually, one level above). You can still include them, but there is no possibility of someone accessing them through an http request.
I usually go all the way, and place all of my PHP files outside of the document root aside from the bootstrap file - a lone index.php in the document root that starts routing the entire website/application.
An alternative (or complement) to Chuck's solution would be to deny access to files matching a specific pattern by putting something like this in your .htaccess file
<FilesMatch "\.(inc)$">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
Actually my advice is to do all of these best practices.
Put the documents outside the webroot OR in a directory denied access by the webserver
AND
Use a define in your visible documents that the hidden documents check for:
if (!defined(INCL_FILE_FOO)) {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit;
}
This way if the files become misplaced somehow (an errant ftp operation) they are still protected.
I had this problem once, solved with:
if (strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], basename(__FILE__)) !== false) ...
but the ideal solution is to place the file outside of the web-server document root, as mentioned in another anwser.
I wanted to restrict access to the PHP file directly, but also be able to call it via jQuery $.ajax (XMLHttpRequest). Here is what worked for me.
if (empty($_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"]) && $_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"] != "XMLHttpRequest") {
if (realpath($_SERVER["SCRIPT_FILENAME"]) == __FILE__) { // direct access denied
header("Location: /403");
exit;
}
}
You'd better build application with one entrance point, i.e. all files should be reached from index.php
Place this in index.php
define(A,true);
This check should run in each linked file (via require or include)
defined('A') or die(header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden'));
debug_backtrace() || die ("Direct access not permitted");
My answer is somewhat different in approach but includes many of the answers provided here. I would recommend a multipronged approach:
.htaccess and Apache restrictions for sure
defined('_SOMECONSTANT') or die('Hackers! Be gone!');
HOWEVER the defined or die approach has a number of failings. Firstly, it is a real pain in the assumptions to test and debug with. Secondly, it involves horrifyingly, mind-numbingly boring refactoring if you change your mind. "Find and replace!" you say. Yes, but how sure are you that it is written exactly the same everywhere, hmmm? Now multiply that with thousands of files... o.O
And then there's .htaccess. What happens if your code is distributed onto sites where the administrator is not so scrupulous? If you rely only on .htaccess to secure your files you're also going to need a) a backup, b) a box of tissues to dry your tears, c) a fire extinguisher to put out the flames in all the hatemail from people using your code.
So I know the question asks for the "easiest", but I think what this calls for is more "defensive coding".
What I suggest is:
Before any of your scripts require('ifyoulieyougonnadie.php'); (not include() and as a replacement for defined or die)
In ifyoulieyougonnadie.php, do some logic stuff - check for different constants, calling script, localhost testing and such - and then implement your die(), throw new Exception, 403, etc.
I am creating my own framework with two possible entry points - the main index.php (Joomla framework) and ajaxrouter.php (my framework) - so depending on the point of entry, I check for different things. If the request to ifyoulieyougonnadie.php doesn't come from one of those two files, I know shenanigans are being undertaken!
But what if I add a new entry point? No worries. I just change ifyoulieyougonnadie.php and I'm sorted, plus no 'find and replace'. Hooray!
What if I decided to move some of my scripts to do a different framework that doesn't have the same constants defined()? ... Hooray! ^_^
I found this strategy makes development a lot more fun and a lot less:
/**
* Hmmm... why is my netbeans debugger only showing a blank white page
* for this script (that is being tested outside the framework)?
* Later... I just don't understand why my code is not working...
* Much later... There are no error messages or anything!
* Why is it not working!?!
* I HATE PHP!!!
*
* Scroll back to the top of my 100s of lines of code...
* U_U
*
* Sorry PHP. I didn't mean what I said. I was just upset.
*/
// defined('_JEXEC') or die();
class perfectlyWorkingCode {}
perfectlyWorkingCode::nowDoingStuffBecauseIRememberedToCommentOutTheDie();
The easiest way is to set some variable in the file that calls include, such as
$including = true;
Then in the file that's being included, check for the variable
if (!$including) exit("direct access not permitted");
Besides the .htaccess way, I have seen a useful pattern in various frameworks, for example in ruby on rails. They have a separate pub/ directory in the application root directory and the library directories are living in directories at the same level as pub/. Something like this (not ideal, but you get the idea):
app/
|
+--pub/
|
+--lib/
|
+--conf/
|
+--models/
|
+--views/
|
+--controllers/
You set up your web server to use pub/ as document root. This offers better protection to your scripts: while they can reach out from the document root to load necessary components it is impossible to access the components from the internet. Another benefit besides security is that everything is in one place.
This setup is better than just creating checks in every single included file because "access not permitted" message is a clue to attackers, and it is better than .htaccess configuration because it is not white-list based: if you screw up the file extensions it will not be visible in the lib/, conf/ etc. directories.
What Joomla! does is defining a Constant in a root file and checking if the same is defined in the included files.
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
or else
one can keep all files outside the reach of an http request by placing them outside the webroot directory as most frameworks like CodeIgniter recommend.
or even by placing an .htaccess file within the include folder and writing rules, you can prevent direct access.
<?php
$url = 'http://' . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
if (false !== strpos($url,'.php')) {
die ("Direct access not premitted");
}
?>
If more precisely, you should use this condition:
if (array_search(__FILE__, get_included_files()) === 0) {
echo 'direct access';
}
else {
echo 'included';
}
get_included_files() returns indexed array containing names of all included files (if file is beign executed then it was included and its name is in the array).
So, when the file is directly accessed, its name is the first in the array, all other files in the array were included.
Storing your include files outside the web accessible directory has been mentioned a few times, and is certainly a good strategy where possible. However, another option I have not yet seen mentioned: ensure that your include files don’t contain any runnable code. If your include files merely define functions and classes, and have no code other than that, they will simply produce a blank page when accessed directly.
By all means allow direct access to this file from the browser: it won’t do anything. It defines some functions, but none of them are called, so none of them run.
<?php
function a() {
// function body
}
function b() {
// function body
}
The same applies to files which contain only PHP classes, and nothing else.
It’s still a good idea to keep your files outside of the web directory where possible.
You might accidentally deactivate PHP, in which case your server may send content of the PHP files to the browser, instead of running PHP and sending the result. This could result in your code (including database passwords, API keys, etc.) leaking.
Files in the web directory are squatting on URLs you may want to use for your app. I work with a CMS which cannot have a page called system, because that would conflict with a path used for code. I find this annoying.
Do something like:
<?php
if ($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] == '<path to php include file>') {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit('Forbidden');
}
?>
<?php
if (eregi("YOUR_INCLUDED_PHP_FILE_NAME", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
?>
place the code above in the top of your included php file.
ex:
<?php
if (eregi("some_functions.php", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
// do something
?>
The following code is used in the Flatnux CMS (http://flatnux.altervista.org):
if ( strpos(strtolower($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']),strtolower(basename(__FILE__))) )
{
header("Location: ../../index.php");
die("...");
}
I found this php-only and invariable solution which works both with http and cli :
Define a function :
function forbidDirectAccess($file) {
$self = getcwd()."/".trim($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"], "/");
(substr_compare($file, $self, -strlen($self)) != 0) or die('Restricted access');
}
Call the function in the file you want to prevent direct access to :
forbidDirectAccess(__FILE__);
Most of the solutions given above to this question do not work in Cli mode.
if (basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__)) { die('Access denied'); };
You can use the following method below although, it does have a flaw, because it can be faked, except if you can add another line of code to make sure the request comes only from your server either by using Javascript.
You can place this code in the Body section of your HTML code, so the error shows there.
<?
if(!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REQUEST'])) { include ('error_file.php'); }
else { ?>
Place your other HTML code here
<? } ?>
End it like this, so the output of the error will always show within the body section, if that's how you want it to be.
i suggest that don't use of $_SERVER for security reasons .
You can use a variable like $root=true; in first file that included another one.
and use isset($root) in begin of second file that be included.
What you can also do is password protect the directory and keep all your php scripts in there, ofcourse except the index.php file, as at the time of include password won't be required as it will be required only for http access. what it will do is also provide you the option to access your scripts in case you want it as you will have password to access that directory. you will need to setup .htaccess file for the directory and a .htpasswd file to authenticate the user.
well, you can also use any of the solutions provided above in case you feel you don't need to access those files normally because you can always access them through cPanel etc.
Hope this helps
The easiest way is to store your includes outside of the web directory. That way the server has access to them but no outside machine. The only down side is you need to be able to access this part of your server. The upside is it requires no set up, configuration, or additional code/server stress.
I didn't find the suggestions with .htaccess so good because it may block
other content in that folder which you might want to allow user to access to,
this is my solution:
$currentFileInfo = pathinfo(__FILE__);
$requestInfo = pathinfo($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);
if($currentFileInfo['basename'] == $requestInfo['basename']){
// direct access to file
}
Earlier mentioned solution with PHP version check added:
$max_includes = version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5', '<') ? 0 : 1;
if (count(get_included_files()) <= $max_includes)
{
exit('Direct access is not allowed.');
}
You can use phpMyAdmin Style:
/**
* block attempts to directly run this script
*/
if (getcwd() == dirname(__FILE__)) {
die('Attack stopped');
}
I have a php file which I will be using as exclusively as an include. Therefore I would like to throw an error instead of executing it when it's accessed directly by typing in the URL instead of being included.
Basically I need to do a check as follows in the php file:
if ( $REQUEST_URL == $URL_OF_CURRENT_PAGE ) die ("Direct access not premitted");
Is there an easy way to do this?
Add this to the page that you want to only be included
<?php
if(!defined('MyConst')) {
die('Direct access not permitted');
}
?>
then on the pages that include it add
<?php
define('MyConst', TRUE);
?>
The easiest way for the generic "PHP app running on an Apache server that you may or may not fully control" situation is to put your includes in a directory and deny access to that directory in your .htaccess file. To save people the trouble of Googling, if you're using Apache, put this in a file called ".htaccess" in the directory you don't want to be accessible:
Deny from all
If you actually have full control of the server (more common these days even for little apps than when I first wrote this answer), the best approach is to stick the files you want to protect outside of the directory that your web server is serving from. So if your app is in /srv/YourApp/, set the server to serve files from /srv/YourApp/app/ and put the includes in /srv/YourApp/includes, so there literally isn't any URL that can access them.
I have a file that I need to act differently when it's included vs when it's accessed directly (mainly a print() vs return()) Here's some modified code:
if(count(get_included_files()) ==1) exit("Direct access not permitted.");
The file being accessed is always an included file, hence the == 1.
1: Checking the count of included files
if( count(get_included_files()) == ((version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.0.0', '>='))?1:0) )
{
exit('Restricted Access');
}
Logic: PHP exits if the minimum include count isn't met. Note that prior to PHP5, the base page is not considered an include.
2: Defining and verifying a global constant
// In the base page (directly accessed):
define('_DEFVAR', 1);
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
Logic: If the constant isn't defined, then the execution didn't start from the base page, and PHP would stop executing.
Note that for the sake of portability across upgrades and future changes, making this authentication method modular would significantly reduce the coding overhead as the changes won't need to be hard-coded to every single file.
// Put the code in a separate file instead, say 'checkdefined.php':
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
// Replace the same code in the include files with:
require_once('checkdefined.php');
This way additional code can be added to checkdefined.php for logging and analytical purposes, as well as for generating appropriate responses.
Credit where credit is due: The brilliant idea of portability came from this answer. However there is one con to this method. Files in different folders may require different addresses to address this file. And server root based addressing may not work if you're running the current website from within a subfolder of the main site.
3: Remote address authorisation
// Call the include from the base page(directly accessed):
$includeData = file_get_contents("http://127.0.0.1/component.php?auth=token");
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
$src = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']; // Get the source address
$auth = authoriseIP($src); // Authorisation algorithm
if( !$auth ) exit('Restricted Access');
The drawback with this method is isolated execution, unless a session-token provided with the internal request. Verify via the loop-back address in case of a single server configuration, or an address white-list for a multi-server or load-balanced server infrastructure.
4: Token authorisation
Similar to the previous method, one can use GET or POST to pass an authorization token to the include file:
if($key!="serv97602"){header("Location: ".$dart);exit();}
A very messy method, but also perhaps the most secure and versatile at the same time, when used in the right way.
5: Webserver specific configuration
Most servers allow you to assign permissions for individual files or directories. You could place all your includes in such restricted directories, and have the server configured to deny them.
For example in APACHE, the configuration is stored in the .htaccess file. Tutorial here.
Note however that server-specific configurations are not recommended by me because they are bad for portability across different web-servers. In cases like Content Management Systems where the deny-algorithm is complex or the list of denied directories is rather big, it might only make reconfiguration sessions rather gruesome. In the end it's best to handle this in code.
6: Placing includes in a secure directory OUTSIDE the site root
Least preferred because of access limitations in server environments, but a rather powerful method if you have access to the file-system.
//Your secure dir path based on server file-system
$secure_dir=dirname($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR."secure".DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
include($secure_dir."securepage.php");
Logic:
The user cannot request any file outside the htdocs folder as the links would be outside the scope of the website's address system.
The php server accesses the file-system natively, and hence can access files on a computer just like how a normal program with required privileges can.
By placing the include files in this directory, you can ensure that the php server gets to access them, while hotlinking is denied to the user.
Even if the webserver's filesystem access configuration wasn't done properly, this method would prevent those files from becoming public accidentally.
Please excuse my unorthodox coding conventions. Any feedback is appreciated.
The best way to prevent direct access to files is to place them outside of the web-server document root (usually, one level above). You can still include them, but there is no possibility of someone accessing them through an http request.
I usually go all the way, and place all of my PHP files outside of the document root aside from the bootstrap file - a lone index.php in the document root that starts routing the entire website/application.
An alternative (or complement) to Chuck's solution would be to deny access to files matching a specific pattern by putting something like this in your .htaccess file
<FilesMatch "\.(inc)$">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
Actually my advice is to do all of these best practices.
Put the documents outside the webroot OR in a directory denied access by the webserver
AND
Use a define in your visible documents that the hidden documents check for:
if (!defined(INCL_FILE_FOO)) {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit;
}
This way if the files become misplaced somehow (an errant ftp operation) they are still protected.
I had this problem once, solved with:
if (strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], basename(__FILE__)) !== false) ...
but the ideal solution is to place the file outside of the web-server document root, as mentioned in another anwser.
I wanted to restrict access to the PHP file directly, but also be able to call it via jQuery $.ajax (XMLHttpRequest). Here is what worked for me.
if (empty($_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"]) && $_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"] != "XMLHttpRequest") {
if (realpath($_SERVER["SCRIPT_FILENAME"]) == __FILE__) { // direct access denied
header("Location: /403");
exit;
}
}
You'd better build application with one entrance point, i.e. all files should be reached from index.php
Place this in index.php
define(A,true);
This check should run in each linked file (via require or include)
defined('A') or die(header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden'));
debug_backtrace() || die ("Direct access not permitted");
My answer is somewhat different in approach but includes many of the answers provided here. I would recommend a multipronged approach:
.htaccess and Apache restrictions for sure
defined('_SOMECONSTANT') or die('Hackers! Be gone!');
HOWEVER the defined or die approach has a number of failings. Firstly, it is a real pain in the assumptions to test and debug with. Secondly, it involves horrifyingly, mind-numbingly boring refactoring if you change your mind. "Find and replace!" you say. Yes, but how sure are you that it is written exactly the same everywhere, hmmm? Now multiply that with thousands of files... o.O
And then there's .htaccess. What happens if your code is distributed onto sites where the administrator is not so scrupulous? If you rely only on .htaccess to secure your files you're also going to need a) a backup, b) a box of tissues to dry your tears, c) a fire extinguisher to put out the flames in all the hatemail from people using your code.
So I know the question asks for the "easiest", but I think what this calls for is more "defensive coding".
What I suggest is:
Before any of your scripts require('ifyoulieyougonnadie.php'); (not include() and as a replacement for defined or die)
In ifyoulieyougonnadie.php, do some logic stuff - check for different constants, calling script, localhost testing and such - and then implement your die(), throw new Exception, 403, etc.
I am creating my own framework with two possible entry points - the main index.php (Joomla framework) and ajaxrouter.php (my framework) - so depending on the point of entry, I check for different things. If the request to ifyoulieyougonnadie.php doesn't come from one of those two files, I know shenanigans are being undertaken!
But what if I add a new entry point? No worries. I just change ifyoulieyougonnadie.php and I'm sorted, plus no 'find and replace'. Hooray!
What if I decided to move some of my scripts to do a different framework that doesn't have the same constants defined()? ... Hooray! ^_^
I found this strategy makes development a lot more fun and a lot less:
/**
* Hmmm... why is my netbeans debugger only showing a blank white page
* for this script (that is being tested outside the framework)?
* Later... I just don't understand why my code is not working...
* Much later... There are no error messages or anything!
* Why is it not working!?!
* I HATE PHP!!!
*
* Scroll back to the top of my 100s of lines of code...
* U_U
*
* Sorry PHP. I didn't mean what I said. I was just upset.
*/
// defined('_JEXEC') or die();
class perfectlyWorkingCode {}
perfectlyWorkingCode::nowDoingStuffBecauseIRememberedToCommentOutTheDie();
The easiest way is to set some variable in the file that calls include, such as
$including = true;
Then in the file that's being included, check for the variable
if (!$including) exit("direct access not permitted");
Besides the .htaccess way, I have seen a useful pattern in various frameworks, for example in ruby on rails. They have a separate pub/ directory in the application root directory and the library directories are living in directories at the same level as pub/. Something like this (not ideal, but you get the idea):
app/
|
+--pub/
|
+--lib/
|
+--conf/
|
+--models/
|
+--views/
|
+--controllers/
You set up your web server to use pub/ as document root. This offers better protection to your scripts: while they can reach out from the document root to load necessary components it is impossible to access the components from the internet. Another benefit besides security is that everything is in one place.
This setup is better than just creating checks in every single included file because "access not permitted" message is a clue to attackers, and it is better than .htaccess configuration because it is not white-list based: if you screw up the file extensions it will not be visible in the lib/, conf/ etc. directories.
What Joomla! does is defining a Constant in a root file and checking if the same is defined in the included files.
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
or else
one can keep all files outside the reach of an http request by placing them outside the webroot directory as most frameworks like CodeIgniter recommend.
or even by placing an .htaccess file within the include folder and writing rules, you can prevent direct access.
<?php
$url = 'http://' . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
if (false !== strpos($url,'.php')) {
die ("Direct access not premitted");
}
?>
If more precisely, you should use this condition:
if (array_search(__FILE__, get_included_files()) === 0) {
echo 'direct access';
}
else {
echo 'included';
}
get_included_files() returns indexed array containing names of all included files (if file is beign executed then it was included and its name is in the array).
So, when the file is directly accessed, its name is the first in the array, all other files in the array were included.
Storing your include files outside the web accessible directory has been mentioned a few times, and is certainly a good strategy where possible. However, another option I have not yet seen mentioned: ensure that your include files don’t contain any runnable code. If your include files merely define functions and classes, and have no code other than that, they will simply produce a blank page when accessed directly.
By all means allow direct access to this file from the browser: it won’t do anything. It defines some functions, but none of them are called, so none of them run.
<?php
function a() {
// function body
}
function b() {
// function body
}
The same applies to files which contain only PHP classes, and nothing else.
It’s still a good idea to keep your files outside of the web directory where possible.
You might accidentally deactivate PHP, in which case your server may send content of the PHP files to the browser, instead of running PHP and sending the result. This could result in your code (including database passwords, API keys, etc.) leaking.
Files in the web directory are squatting on URLs you may want to use for your app. I work with a CMS which cannot have a page called system, because that would conflict with a path used for code. I find this annoying.
Do something like:
<?php
if ($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] == '<path to php include file>') {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit('Forbidden');
}
?>
<?php
if (eregi("YOUR_INCLUDED_PHP_FILE_NAME", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
?>
place the code above in the top of your included php file.
ex:
<?php
if (eregi("some_functions.php", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
// do something
?>
The following code is used in the Flatnux CMS (http://flatnux.altervista.org):
if ( strpos(strtolower($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']),strtolower(basename(__FILE__))) )
{
header("Location: ../../index.php");
die("...");
}
I found this php-only and invariable solution which works both with http and cli :
Define a function :
function forbidDirectAccess($file) {
$self = getcwd()."/".trim($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"], "/");
(substr_compare($file, $self, -strlen($self)) != 0) or die('Restricted access');
}
Call the function in the file you want to prevent direct access to :
forbidDirectAccess(__FILE__);
Most of the solutions given above to this question do not work in Cli mode.
if (basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__)) { die('Access denied'); };
You can use the following method below although, it does have a flaw, because it can be faked, except if you can add another line of code to make sure the request comes only from your server either by using Javascript.
You can place this code in the Body section of your HTML code, so the error shows there.
<?
if(!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REQUEST'])) { include ('error_file.php'); }
else { ?>
Place your other HTML code here
<? } ?>
End it like this, so the output of the error will always show within the body section, if that's how you want it to be.
i suggest that don't use of $_SERVER for security reasons .
You can use a variable like $root=true; in first file that included another one.
and use isset($root) in begin of second file that be included.
What you can also do is password protect the directory and keep all your php scripts in there, ofcourse except the index.php file, as at the time of include password won't be required as it will be required only for http access. what it will do is also provide you the option to access your scripts in case you want it as you will have password to access that directory. you will need to setup .htaccess file for the directory and a .htpasswd file to authenticate the user.
well, you can also use any of the solutions provided above in case you feel you don't need to access those files normally because you can always access them through cPanel etc.
Hope this helps
The easiest way is to store your includes outside of the web directory. That way the server has access to them but no outside machine. The only down side is you need to be able to access this part of your server. The upside is it requires no set up, configuration, or additional code/server stress.
I didn't find the suggestions with .htaccess so good because it may block
other content in that folder which you might want to allow user to access to,
this is my solution:
$currentFileInfo = pathinfo(__FILE__);
$requestInfo = pathinfo($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);
if($currentFileInfo['basename'] == $requestInfo['basename']){
// direct access to file
}
Earlier mentioned solution with PHP version check added:
$max_includes = version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5', '<') ? 0 : 1;
if (count(get_included_files()) <= $max_includes)
{
exit('Direct access is not allowed.');
}
You can use phpMyAdmin Style:
/**
* block attempts to directly run this script
*/
if (getcwd() == dirname(__FILE__)) {
die('Attack stopped');
}
I have a website which fetches data from some PHP files to display it on the website. However, to protect my data to be used by other people, I wish to protect my PHP file being called by crawlers, bot etc to gather data.
I have prevented it by checking referral URL , but that can be easily by-passed. So, is there any other way to protect my data . I wish that only my website can call to those files.
Thanks !!
Add Basic HTTP authentication in top of your php file:
if ( !isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']) ||
!isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW']) ||
!($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] == 'user' && $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] == 'pw'))) {
header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="Mirkwood"');
header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
die();
}
If you have Apache web server and in root directory of your site you create an .htaccess file (dot htaccess with no suffix).
Try this syntax to prevent access to specific file types:
<FilesMatch "\.(htaccess|htpasswd|ini|php)$">
Order Allow,Deny
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
Another way is in all non-index php files you could include something like this:
In index.php, add an access value like this:
$access = 'my_value';
In every other file, include this check before even a single byte is echoed out by php:
if(empty($access)) {
header("location:index.php");
die();
}
I have a website which fetches data from some PHP files to display it on the website.
Move the files that contain the data outside of the document root. Assuming that the PHP files are just being accessed by another inside the docroot.
As suggested by DaveRandom, I finally used a cookie based authentication technique to avoid calling of PHP by other websites.
The server first sets a access code for each valid client. This access code is checked at the beginning of my PHP file.
Cookie is set a max time limit of 5 hrs and cookie is destroyed on window close. This is working pretty fine for me.
Please mention if there is any glitches in this part !!
I have a page that I want to execute via cron. It just does some pretty simple archiving stuff, nothing super high-security, no DB access etc.
Is it a secure practice to simply require a GET var to be present in order to execute the page? So myarchiver.php would be something like:
<?php
$mysecret_word = "abc123";
if ($_GET['secret'] == $mysecret_word){
// execute my stuff here
}
Then you'd just call myarchiver.php?secret=abc123 in the crontab and the process would run, while any wrong answer or attempt to execute the page with no secret would simply present a blank page (with no extra server load).
I realize this is not "secure" against man in the middle attacks and if the site was compromised-- but I believe in general it's plenty secure to keep this script from being fired by random script kiddies and other idiots who may somehow know about its existence? The thing I'm guarding against is random malicious users who may know about this script bombarding it with requests in order to dos/tie up resources.
EDIT TO ADD: the server is not accessible via SSH and the cron is being executed on a remote machine-- so it must be done via an http request.
Thanks for input.
If this script is never going to be run from the browser, you should place the file outside of your web root directory where browsers cannot reach it and just have your cron run the script at the alternate location. It would definitely be the most secure way to do it.
If you're on a shared hosting environment, you may need browser access for manual running. I would just use SSH to manually run the file from its location since it only takes me a couple seconds to login to SSH and get to the directory. Personally, I just prefer not to have excess pages laying around on my website.
First off, why not just check the IP address of the server making the request?
If it has to be done via an HTTP request and simply checking the IP address isn't an option, you can have your cron run a script similar to "runcron.php". That script would in turn make a CURL or WGET request to the actual cron script you want to run.
That would allow you to pass a dynamic hash instead of a static key. That would prevent someone from just repeating the HTTP request if they happen to sniff the traffic. For the hash you could use anything dynamic like the date combined with a salt.
Example:
if (md5('secretword') . date('H')) == $_GET['hash']) { // do cron }
That would at least rotate your key once an hour.
Also, crontab won't let you pass GET variables. You'll have to do this -
/usr/bin/php /home/blah.php hello
Then in the script -
$argv = $_SERVER['argv'];
echo $argv[1];
Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.
This is a technique that facebook uses on their logout.php file, so that if someone sends a link to logout.php it won't log them out. I would recommend doing this.
$mysecret_word = "abc123";
if ($_GET['asd2edxc32cwqcxad'] === $mysecret_word){
// execute my stuff here
} else {
error_log('oopis');
header('HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found');
die();
}
I have a php file which I will be using as exclusively as an include. Therefore I would like to throw an error instead of executing it when it's accessed directly by typing in the URL instead of being included.
Basically I need to do a check as follows in the php file:
if ( $REQUEST_URL == $URL_OF_CURRENT_PAGE ) die ("Direct access not premitted");
Is there an easy way to do this?
Add this to the page that you want to only be included
<?php
if(!defined('MyConst')) {
die('Direct access not permitted');
}
?>
then on the pages that include it add
<?php
define('MyConst', TRUE);
?>
The easiest way for the generic "PHP app running on an Apache server that you may or may not fully control" situation is to put your includes in a directory and deny access to that directory in your .htaccess file. To save people the trouble of Googling, if you're using Apache, put this in a file called ".htaccess" in the directory you don't want to be accessible:
Deny from all
If you actually have full control of the server (more common these days even for little apps than when I first wrote this answer), the best approach is to stick the files you want to protect outside of the directory that your web server is serving from. So if your app is in /srv/YourApp/, set the server to serve files from /srv/YourApp/app/ and put the includes in /srv/YourApp/includes, so there literally isn't any URL that can access them.
I have a file that I need to act differently when it's included vs when it's accessed directly (mainly a print() vs return()) Here's some modified code:
if(count(get_included_files()) ==1) exit("Direct access not permitted.");
The file being accessed is always an included file, hence the == 1.
1: Checking the count of included files
if( count(get_included_files()) == ((version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.0.0', '>='))?1:0) )
{
exit('Restricted Access');
}
Logic: PHP exits if the minimum include count isn't met. Note that prior to PHP5, the base page is not considered an include.
2: Defining and verifying a global constant
// In the base page (directly accessed):
define('_DEFVAR', 1);
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
Logic: If the constant isn't defined, then the execution didn't start from the base page, and PHP would stop executing.
Note that for the sake of portability across upgrades and future changes, making this authentication method modular would significantly reduce the coding overhead as the changes won't need to be hard-coded to every single file.
// Put the code in a separate file instead, say 'checkdefined.php':
defined('_DEFVAR') or exit('Restricted Access');
// Replace the same code in the include files with:
require_once('checkdefined.php');
This way additional code can be added to checkdefined.php for logging and analytical purposes, as well as for generating appropriate responses.
Credit where credit is due: The brilliant idea of portability came from this answer. However there is one con to this method. Files in different folders may require different addresses to address this file. And server root based addressing may not work if you're running the current website from within a subfolder of the main site.
3: Remote address authorisation
// Call the include from the base page(directly accessed):
$includeData = file_get_contents("http://127.0.0.1/component.php?auth=token");
// In the include files (where direct access isn't permitted):
$src = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']; // Get the source address
$auth = authoriseIP($src); // Authorisation algorithm
if( !$auth ) exit('Restricted Access');
The drawback with this method is isolated execution, unless a session-token provided with the internal request. Verify via the loop-back address in case of a single server configuration, or an address white-list for a multi-server or load-balanced server infrastructure.
4: Token authorisation
Similar to the previous method, one can use GET or POST to pass an authorization token to the include file:
if($key!="serv97602"){header("Location: ".$dart);exit();}
A very messy method, but also perhaps the most secure and versatile at the same time, when used in the right way.
5: Webserver specific configuration
Most servers allow you to assign permissions for individual files or directories. You could place all your includes in such restricted directories, and have the server configured to deny them.
For example in APACHE, the configuration is stored in the .htaccess file. Tutorial here.
Note however that server-specific configurations are not recommended by me because they are bad for portability across different web-servers. In cases like Content Management Systems where the deny-algorithm is complex or the list of denied directories is rather big, it might only make reconfiguration sessions rather gruesome. In the end it's best to handle this in code.
6: Placing includes in a secure directory OUTSIDE the site root
Least preferred because of access limitations in server environments, but a rather powerful method if you have access to the file-system.
//Your secure dir path based on server file-system
$secure_dir=dirname($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR."secure".DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
include($secure_dir."securepage.php");
Logic:
The user cannot request any file outside the htdocs folder as the links would be outside the scope of the website's address system.
The php server accesses the file-system natively, and hence can access files on a computer just like how a normal program with required privileges can.
By placing the include files in this directory, you can ensure that the php server gets to access them, while hotlinking is denied to the user.
Even if the webserver's filesystem access configuration wasn't done properly, this method would prevent those files from becoming public accidentally.
Please excuse my unorthodox coding conventions. Any feedback is appreciated.
The best way to prevent direct access to files is to place them outside of the web-server document root (usually, one level above). You can still include them, but there is no possibility of someone accessing them through an http request.
I usually go all the way, and place all of my PHP files outside of the document root aside from the bootstrap file - a lone index.php in the document root that starts routing the entire website/application.
An alternative (or complement) to Chuck's solution would be to deny access to files matching a specific pattern by putting something like this in your .htaccess file
<FilesMatch "\.(inc)$">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
Actually my advice is to do all of these best practices.
Put the documents outside the webroot OR in a directory denied access by the webserver
AND
Use a define in your visible documents that the hidden documents check for:
if (!defined(INCL_FILE_FOO)) {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit;
}
This way if the files become misplaced somehow (an errant ftp operation) they are still protected.
I had this problem once, solved with:
if (strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], basename(__FILE__)) !== false) ...
but the ideal solution is to place the file outside of the web-server document root, as mentioned in another anwser.
I wanted to restrict access to the PHP file directly, but also be able to call it via jQuery $.ajax (XMLHttpRequest). Here is what worked for me.
if (empty($_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"]) && $_SERVER["HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH"] != "XMLHttpRequest") {
if (realpath($_SERVER["SCRIPT_FILENAME"]) == __FILE__) { // direct access denied
header("Location: /403");
exit;
}
}
You'd better build application with one entrance point, i.e. all files should be reached from index.php
Place this in index.php
define(A,true);
This check should run in each linked file (via require or include)
defined('A') or die(header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden'));
debug_backtrace() || die ("Direct access not permitted");
My answer is somewhat different in approach but includes many of the answers provided here. I would recommend a multipronged approach:
.htaccess and Apache restrictions for sure
defined('_SOMECONSTANT') or die('Hackers! Be gone!');
HOWEVER the defined or die approach has a number of failings. Firstly, it is a real pain in the assumptions to test and debug with. Secondly, it involves horrifyingly, mind-numbingly boring refactoring if you change your mind. "Find and replace!" you say. Yes, but how sure are you that it is written exactly the same everywhere, hmmm? Now multiply that with thousands of files... o.O
And then there's .htaccess. What happens if your code is distributed onto sites where the administrator is not so scrupulous? If you rely only on .htaccess to secure your files you're also going to need a) a backup, b) a box of tissues to dry your tears, c) a fire extinguisher to put out the flames in all the hatemail from people using your code.
So I know the question asks for the "easiest", but I think what this calls for is more "defensive coding".
What I suggest is:
Before any of your scripts require('ifyoulieyougonnadie.php'); (not include() and as a replacement for defined or die)
In ifyoulieyougonnadie.php, do some logic stuff - check for different constants, calling script, localhost testing and such - and then implement your die(), throw new Exception, 403, etc.
I am creating my own framework with two possible entry points - the main index.php (Joomla framework) and ajaxrouter.php (my framework) - so depending on the point of entry, I check for different things. If the request to ifyoulieyougonnadie.php doesn't come from one of those two files, I know shenanigans are being undertaken!
But what if I add a new entry point? No worries. I just change ifyoulieyougonnadie.php and I'm sorted, plus no 'find and replace'. Hooray!
What if I decided to move some of my scripts to do a different framework that doesn't have the same constants defined()? ... Hooray! ^_^
I found this strategy makes development a lot more fun and a lot less:
/**
* Hmmm... why is my netbeans debugger only showing a blank white page
* for this script (that is being tested outside the framework)?
* Later... I just don't understand why my code is not working...
* Much later... There are no error messages or anything!
* Why is it not working!?!
* I HATE PHP!!!
*
* Scroll back to the top of my 100s of lines of code...
* U_U
*
* Sorry PHP. I didn't mean what I said. I was just upset.
*/
// defined('_JEXEC') or die();
class perfectlyWorkingCode {}
perfectlyWorkingCode::nowDoingStuffBecauseIRememberedToCommentOutTheDie();
The easiest way is to set some variable in the file that calls include, such as
$including = true;
Then in the file that's being included, check for the variable
if (!$including) exit("direct access not permitted");
Besides the .htaccess way, I have seen a useful pattern in various frameworks, for example in ruby on rails. They have a separate pub/ directory in the application root directory and the library directories are living in directories at the same level as pub/. Something like this (not ideal, but you get the idea):
app/
|
+--pub/
|
+--lib/
|
+--conf/
|
+--models/
|
+--views/
|
+--controllers/
You set up your web server to use pub/ as document root. This offers better protection to your scripts: while they can reach out from the document root to load necessary components it is impossible to access the components from the internet. Another benefit besides security is that everything is in one place.
This setup is better than just creating checks in every single included file because "access not permitted" message is a clue to attackers, and it is better than .htaccess configuration because it is not white-list based: if you screw up the file extensions it will not be visible in the lib/, conf/ etc. directories.
What Joomla! does is defining a Constant in a root file and checking if the same is defined in the included files.
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');
or else
one can keep all files outside the reach of an http request by placing them outside the webroot directory as most frameworks like CodeIgniter recommend.
or even by placing an .htaccess file within the include folder and writing rules, you can prevent direct access.
<?php
$url = 'http://' . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
if (false !== strpos($url,'.php')) {
die ("Direct access not premitted");
}
?>
If more precisely, you should use this condition:
if (array_search(__FILE__, get_included_files()) === 0) {
echo 'direct access';
}
else {
echo 'included';
}
get_included_files() returns indexed array containing names of all included files (if file is beign executed then it was included and its name is in the array).
So, when the file is directly accessed, its name is the first in the array, all other files in the array were included.
Storing your include files outside the web accessible directory has been mentioned a few times, and is certainly a good strategy where possible. However, another option I have not yet seen mentioned: ensure that your include files don’t contain any runnable code. If your include files merely define functions and classes, and have no code other than that, they will simply produce a blank page when accessed directly.
By all means allow direct access to this file from the browser: it won’t do anything. It defines some functions, but none of them are called, so none of them run.
<?php
function a() {
// function body
}
function b() {
// function body
}
The same applies to files which contain only PHP classes, and nothing else.
It’s still a good idea to keep your files outside of the web directory where possible.
You might accidentally deactivate PHP, in which case your server may send content of the PHP files to the browser, instead of running PHP and sending the result. This could result in your code (including database passwords, API keys, etc.) leaking.
Files in the web directory are squatting on URLs you may want to use for your app. I work with a CMS which cannot have a page called system, because that would conflict with a path used for code. I find this annoying.
Do something like:
<?php
if ($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] == '<path to php include file>') {
header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
exit('Forbidden');
}
?>
<?php
if (eregi("YOUR_INCLUDED_PHP_FILE_NAME", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
?>
place the code above in the top of your included php file.
ex:
<?php
if (eregi("some_functions.php", $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
die("<h4>You don't have right permission to access this file directly.</h4>");
}
// do something
?>
The following code is used in the Flatnux CMS (http://flatnux.altervista.org):
if ( strpos(strtolower($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']),strtolower(basename(__FILE__))) )
{
header("Location: ../../index.php");
die("...");
}
I found this php-only and invariable solution which works both with http and cli :
Define a function :
function forbidDirectAccess($file) {
$self = getcwd()."/".trim($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"], "/");
(substr_compare($file, $self, -strlen($self)) != 0) or die('Restricted access');
}
Call the function in the file you want to prevent direct access to :
forbidDirectAccess(__FILE__);
Most of the solutions given above to this question do not work in Cli mode.
if (basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__)) { die('Access denied'); };
You can use the following method below although, it does have a flaw, because it can be faked, except if you can add another line of code to make sure the request comes only from your server either by using Javascript.
You can place this code in the Body section of your HTML code, so the error shows there.
<?
if(!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REQUEST'])) { include ('error_file.php'); }
else { ?>
Place your other HTML code here
<? } ?>
End it like this, so the output of the error will always show within the body section, if that's how you want it to be.
i suggest that don't use of $_SERVER for security reasons .
You can use a variable like $root=true; in first file that included another one.
and use isset($root) in begin of second file that be included.
What you can also do is password protect the directory and keep all your php scripts in there, ofcourse except the index.php file, as at the time of include password won't be required as it will be required only for http access. what it will do is also provide you the option to access your scripts in case you want it as you will have password to access that directory. you will need to setup .htaccess file for the directory and a .htpasswd file to authenticate the user.
well, you can also use any of the solutions provided above in case you feel you don't need to access those files normally because you can always access them through cPanel etc.
Hope this helps
The easiest way is to store your includes outside of the web directory. That way the server has access to them but no outside machine. The only down side is you need to be able to access this part of your server. The upside is it requires no set up, configuration, or additional code/server stress.
I didn't find the suggestions with .htaccess so good because it may block
other content in that folder which you might want to allow user to access to,
this is my solution:
$currentFileInfo = pathinfo(__FILE__);
$requestInfo = pathinfo($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);
if($currentFileInfo['basename'] == $requestInfo['basename']){
// direct access to file
}
Earlier mentioned solution with PHP version check added:
$max_includes = version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5', '<') ? 0 : 1;
if (count(get_included_files()) <= $max_includes)
{
exit('Direct access is not allowed.');
}
You can use phpMyAdmin Style:
/**
* block attempts to directly run this script
*/
if (getcwd() == dirname(__FILE__)) {
die('Attack stopped');
}