Re: Persistent login session with restricted access

kgish,

I use CGI::Application and Template::Toolkit to do the heavy lifting. Instead of giving you the code, I'll give you a description of how I approached the same problem (http://artwest.ca). If you write it yourself, you'll have a much better understanding of it.

CGI::Application - setup():

My C::A setup() has two run modes, one for login/register validation and one for everything else. Also in setup(), I open up a config file and bring in some default variables.

CGI::Application - cgiapp_prerun():

First, an existing session is opened or a new one is created, depending on the presenence of a session cookie in the request. The new or existing session id is then set in the outgoing HTTP header. If the run mode is set to 'logout', the session param 'logged_in' is set to false, the user security level is set to the lowest, and the run mode is reset to default. If the run mode or any other desired query or session parameters are not set, they are now set to their default values. Lastly, a sub in a separate module is called to do things if the user selected to change one of their display preferences (e.g., font size or theme color).

C::A - validate():

This run mode calls a sepatare module to validate a login or registration request and retuns a message if errors occurred. The authentication module logs in or registers the user if appropriate. validate() then calls a sparate module to build the page, including any login or registration errors, and a web page is returned (the page returned depending on user's security level).

C::A - normal():

This method calls a sparate module to build the page, and a web page is returned (the page returned depending on user's security level).

Template::Toolkit:

I use TT for page layout and to automatically build navbars. With TT, its easy to place a login form (or a logout url) on every page. As well, if you store your registration information in tables, TT's DBI plugin simplifies administering registration information. TT has a great O'Reilly book that I would recommend purchasing. Having the reference has sped up my development time and reduced my pain significantly.

Restricting Access:

I use a simple table of security levels per each major content section. So the user must have the same or greater security level then the content section in order to view the requested page. To prohibit access to content other than through my index.cgi script, I use .htaccess files in protected directories.

I hope this gives you some idea where to start. Note, however, that I'm not a professional programmer or web developer so there are bound to be some security problems or better ways to do it.

Good luck,

Anne

Comment on Re: Persistent login session with restricted access

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Re^2: Persistent login session with restricted access by dragonchild (Archbishop) on Oct 10, 2004 at 21:58 UTC
The way I've seen most successfully done is this: Have a set of runmodes that do what you want. They do not worry about security. Have a standard login page. Use the cgiapp_prerun() method to check if the person is logged in correctly. If they are not and they requested a page that requires being logged in, redirect them to the login page. Otherwise, you don't do anything. The user was validated correctly, so the normal flow of events should continue. I.e., the page requested should be rendered. Your idea about having a separate file and all that ... why be so complicated? cgiapp_prerun() cannot be circumvented by the user. Your method, theoretically, can be, especially if you call another cgi script and return its return value. Being right, does not endow the right to be rude; politeness costs nothing. Being unknowing, is not the same as being stupid. Expressing a contrary opinion, whether to the individual or the group, is more often a sign of deeper thought than of cantankerous belligerence. Do not mistake your goals as the only goals; your opinion as the only opinion; your confidence as correctness. Saying you know better is not the same as explaining you know better.	[reply]
Re^3: Persistent login session with restricted access by Anneq (Vicar) on Oct 11, 2004 at 03:11 UTC
dragonchild, The reason I have a runmode for validation is because I want the user to be able to login or logout from any page, similar to the perlmonks site. So the "login" template component is part of every page rendered. After validation, the previously requested page is served up automatically without the user requesting it again. My default run mode is the only other one required at at the moment because it is the only one needed to serve up simple pages. Other run modes will be added as more complex functionaly is added to the site. As stated above, if a user requested a page that required authentication, they would get a notification that they must be logged in to view that page. After logging in, the previously requested page automatically displays without having to request it again. My cgiapp_prerun() only checks to see if the person is logged out and then resets the session and displays the home page. I didn't see the need to check if a person is logged in, because the site is based on levels of authorization (e.g., anonymous, members, executive, administrators). For example, users not logged in can access the anonymous level pages. My cgi page building module checks the authorization level of the user against that of the page to determine whether the page should be served. I looked into redirecting but didn't see how to do this in a way that made sense with how my site is structured. I suspect that I'm missing something here but I couldn't see how it would work for me. I use a CGI query parameter that is placed in the urls of dynamically generated navbars to indicate to my site what resourse is being requested. Since these are all, thus far, simple content without forms or other functionality, they are served by my default run mode. I wanted to keep it simple and it works so far. Maybe I'll see your point (and have to refactor the code) when I begin to add more functionality. I use a separate .htaccess file to prohibit people from guessing the layout of my content and typing in those guesses in the url, thus bypassing my index.cgi script. This was a security threat that I had to address and I couldn't think of any other way to do it. I'm not using HTTP Authentication. I'm still looking into redirecting, but I don't fully understand how to it properly in a way that makes sense here. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, Anne	[reply]
Re^2: Persistent login session with restricted access by kgish (Acolyte) on Oct 11, 2004 at 20:03 UTC
Okay Anne, this looks really promising. I will give it a go and see if I can create something worthy of your respect. Thanks alot.	[reply]


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