NAME

upsset.conf - Configuration for Network UPS Tools upsset.cgi

DESCRIPTION

This file only does one job — it lets you convince upsset.cgi(8) that your system’s CGI directory is secure. The program will not run until this file has been properly defined.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • Contents of this file should be pure ASCII (character codes not in range would be ignored with a warning message).

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

upsset.cgi(8) allows you to try login name and password combinations. There is no rate limiting, as the program shuts down between every request. Such is the nature of CGI programs.

Credentials are provided to upsset.cgi as part of your browsing session, so it is highly recommended to set up HTTPS on the web server; ways to do so are outside the scope of this document.

Normally, attackers would not be able to access your upsd(8) server directly, as it would be protected by the LISTEN directives in your upsd.conf(5) file, tcp-wrappers (if available when NUT was built), and hopefully local firewall settings in your OS.

upsset runs on your web server, so upsd will see it as a connection from a host on an internal network. It doesn’t know that the connection is actually initiated by someone further outside. This is why you must secure it.

On Apache, you can use the .htaccess file or put the directives in your httpd.conf. It looks something like this, assuming the .htaccess method for older Apache releases:

<Files upsset.cgi>
        deny from all
        allow from your.network.addresses
</Files>

You will probably have to set AllowOverride Limit for this directory in your server-level configuration file as well.

Modern Apache enjoys a more detailed syntax, like this:

ScriptAlias /upsstats.cgi /usr/share/nut/cgi/upsstats.cgi
ScriptAlias /upsset.cgi /usr/share/nut/cgi/upsset.cgi
<Directory "/usr/share/nut/cgi">
      Options +Includes +ExecCGI
      AllowOverride Limit
      <RequireAny>
          Require local
          Require ip aa.bb.cc.dd/nn
      </RequireAny>
</Directory>

If this doesn’t make sense, then stop reading and leave this program alone. It’s not something you absolutely need to have anyway.

Assuming you have all this done, and it actually works (test it!), then you may add the following directive to this file:

I_HAVE_SECURED_MY_CGI_DIRECTORY

If you lie to the program and someone beats on your upsd through your web server, don’t blame me.

SEE ALSO

upsset.cgi(8)

Internet resources:

The NUT (Network UPS Tools) home page: https://www.networkupstools.org/