


CRON.CHK(1)                                           CRON.CHK(1)


NAME
       cron.chk   - Checks contents of cron file(s) for potential
       danger.

SYNOPSIS
       cron.chk

DESCRIPTION
       cron.chk checks pathnames and files inside the cron  files
       for  writability.   It filters out all paths or files that
       have a /tmp, /dev/null, or /dev/*ty, plus everything after
       a  ">";  e.g.  if  crontab is writing to a file it doesn't
       care.

       Since cron is run with root privileges, any file that root
       uses  as  input  inside the cron files or any program that
       root executes is potential danger.  World  writable  files
       can  be changed by anyone to cause a root owned process to
       give away unwarranted privileges.

FILES
       /usr/lib/cron /usr/spool/cron/crontabs/*

SEE ALSO
       is_able(1)

BUGS
       Spurious messages can occur; a more stringent  method  (if
       perhaps less careful of a check) would be to test just the
       6th field, instead of all  the  fields  after  the  fifth.
       Also throwing away /tmp, etc. could be a mistake.


























                        December 31, 1989                       1


