tcp_wrappers/safe_finger.8



    1 .TH SAFE_FINGER 8 "21th June 1997" Linux "Linux Programmer's Manual"
    2 .SH NAME
    3 safe_finger \- finger client wrapper that protects against nasty stuff
    4 from finger servers
    5 .SH SYNOPSIS
    6 .B safe_finger [finger_options]
    7 .SH DESCRIPTION
    8 The
    9 .B safe_finger
   10 command protects against nasty stuff from finger servers. Use this
   11 program for automatic reverse finger probes from the
   12 .B tcp_wrapper
   13 .B (tcpd)
   14 , not the raw finger command. The
   15 .B safe_finger
   16 command makes sure that the finger client is not run with root
   17 privileges. It also runs the finger client with a defined PATH
   18 environment.
   19 .B safe_finger
   20 will also protect you from problems caused by the output of some
   21 finger servers. The problem: some programs may react to stuff in
   22 the first column. Other programs may get upset by thrash anywhere
   23 on a line. File systems may fill up as the finger server keeps
   24 sending data. Text editors may bomb out on extremely long lines.
   25 The finger server may take forever because it is somehow wedged.
   26 .B safe_finger
   27 takes care of all this badness.
   28 .SH SEE ALSO
   29 .BR hosts_access (5),
   30 .BR hosts_options (5),
   31 .BR tcpd (8)
   32 .SH AUTHOR
   33 Wietse Venema, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.