Re: [EXIM] pipe-transport

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Author: Philip Hazel
Date:  
To: Rudolf Kompf
CC: exim-mailing-list
Subject: Re: [EXIM] pipe-transport
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, Rudolf Kompf wrote:

> On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, Philip Hazel wrote:
> -> > Some users use the .forward to pipe to a shell-command which appends to
> -> > the user's INBOX (e.g. /var/mail/$USER). I think this is illegal.
> -> > How can I forbid it?
> ->
> -> forbid_pipe on the forwardfile director
>
> Is your recommendation valid if the user $USER excutes in his shell-script
> such as
>
>            cat anyfile >> /var/mail/$USER

>
> ???


If you set forbid_pipe, then the user won't be able to run run a shell
script. Have I misunderstood your requirement here? If you want to
permit them to run a shell but not write to certain files, them I'm
afraid you are out of luck.

However, you could try education. Tell them that if they do that, they
are liable to trash their INBOX because there is no interlocking. If
two mails arrive simultaneously they well get scrambled.

If, on the other hand, they just put a file name in the .forward file,
or make use of the "save" command in an Exim filter file, the delivery
is done by Exim and it is interlocked.


-- 
Philip Hazel            University of Cambridge Computing Service,
ph10@???      Cambridge, England. Phone: +44 1223 334714.



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