bugtraq - Re: MS to stop allowing passwords in URLs

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Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 11:32:12 +0100
From: Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers <bugtraq@...netcobalt.net>
To: bugtraq@...urityfocus.com
Subject: Re: MS to stop allowing passwords in URLs

On 2004-01-28 McAllister, Andrew wrote:

[ MS about to invalidate usage of http://<user>:<pass>@<host> in IE ]

> Anyone have any comments regarding legitimate uses of this syntax and
> Microsoft removing it from their browser? (and presumably the OS since
> the browser IS the OS).

There is no legitimate use of this syntax and never was. Although
RFC 2396 does specify a generic URI syntax allowing

  <user>:<pass>@<host>:<port>

it expressly excludes those URLs whose syntax is specified in RFC 1738:

| This document updates and merges "Uniform Resource Locators" [RFC1738]
| and "Relative Uniform Resource Locators" [RFC1808] in order to define
| a single, generic syntax for all URI.  It excludes those portions of
| RFC 1738 that defined the specific syntax of individual URL schemes;
| those portions will be updated as separate documents, as will the
| process for registration of new URI schemes.

RFC 1738 clearly says:

| An HTTP URL takes the form:
|
|      http://<host>:<port>/<path>?<searchpart>

So do RFCs 1945 and 2616.

Regards
Ansgar Wiechers