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The "FileSystemSecurity" page has been changed by ChrisPepper.
http://wiki.apache.org/httpd/FileSystemSecurity?action=diff&rev1=4&rev2=5

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  Certain applications, especially publishing platforms and Content Management 
Systems that you manage and populate through the web server itself using a 
browser, require that certain directories on the system be made writable by the 
web server user.  You can do this by changing the owner of the directory to 
that user (usually www but ymmv), or by making the directory group-writable and 
changing the group to the group as which Apache runs. 
  
- Making directories writable by the web server should be done only with care 
and consideration.  The usual threat model is that someone manages to upload 
(for instance) a PHP script of their own making into the document root, and 
simply executes that by accessing it through a browser.  Now someone is 
executing code on your machine.
+ Making directories writable by the web server should be done only with care 
and consideration.  The typical attack model is: someone manages to upload (for 
instance) a PHP script of their own making into the document root, and simply 
executes that by accessing it through a browser.  Now your machine is executing 
their code under their control.
  
  If a web app needs writable directories, it's often better to have those 
outside the Document Root 
([[http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/core.html#documentroot]]): that way the 
uploads can't be accessed from the outside through a direct URL.  Some 
applications (Wordpress ([[http://wordpress.org/]]) for instance) support this, 
others do not.  
  

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