DO NOT REPLY [Bug 17549] New: - Apache (php) post irregularities

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Apache (php) post irregularities

           Summary: Apache (php) post irregularities
           Product: Apache httpd-2.0
           Version: 2.0.40
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: NEW
          Severity: Normal
          Priority: Other
         Component: All
        AssignedTo: bugs@httpd.apache.org
        ReportedBy: heckler@bendnet.com

(This bug was originally directed at Redhat's bug database. It involves the
version of apache they ship, 2.0.40, which is not the most recent, but since others might look for data here and/or RedHat might point fingers at apache, and I haven't been able to find a duplicate here, I'm including a copy anyway)

Description of problem:
Red hat distributes Apache Webserver 2.0.40 with Redhat 8.0, and has not released a newer version in it's updates. This version of apache (perhaps in concert with PHP 4.2.2, also distributed in RH8.0 updates) appears to have a bug in how it handles POST requests. In particular, the content of the post request (which takes the form "key1=val1&key2=val2..", I believe) appears to be chopped up randomly and rearranged before PHP parses the values out. Thus, incoming variables take on values like:

echo "text= '$text'";
-output-
'Here is somtext=Here is some example text'

(in real examples, this may take several hundred characters to replicate)

This was discussed in PHP's bug list, (PHP BUG #18648, http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=18648 ) appears to be an apache bug, and they report that the latest build of apache (2.0.44) seems to fix the problem. The last comment confirms that RH8.0 ships with 2.0.40, and that someone should notify RedHat. (I venture this is the appropriate place :) I've searched apache's bug list and found no substantial counterpart, but apache doesn't recommend posting bugs on software versions they do not consider "up to date". See apache bug #15808, http://nagoya.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=15808 for an example of this attitude.

I'd recommend either releasing a newer version of apache in updates, or a new patchlevel for 2.0.40 addressing this issue. (I'm not really a packager, but I play one on tv :)

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Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): httpd 2.0.40-11, tested against php 4.2.2-8.0.7

How reproducible:
99%

Steps to Reproduce:
1. build a simple web form with a textarea element (lets say it's named "foo") and a submit button, that submits using POST method. 1a. To aid reproduceability, make sure the textarea is the only named form element, no name for the submit button.
1b. Some people have suggested that multiple named form elements either make the bug go away or else make it harder to spot (corrupting variables you don't use), either way diminishing reproduceability 2. in response page, using php, <? print_r($_POST) ?> 2a. Some have reported php_info() confirms the error when it dumps incoming POST values, I haven't tried that.
3. Enter several kilobytes of data, just to be sure, into the text area and submit the form.     

Actual results:
PHP will report that $_POST['foo'] contains a value with portions copied and spliced around, perhaps delimited by "foo=".

Expected results:
PHP should report that $_POST['foo'] matches your input text, give or take the effects of magic quotes and the like.

Additional info:
Fair discussion of the problem:
PHP BUG #18648, http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=18648