"Silence is golden" index.html generates output

[Ov3rfly]

Unwanted listing of folders in wp-content is ususally prevented via a file index.php with a php comment // Silence is golden. which does not return any output.

• wp-content/index.php
• wp-content/plugins/index.php
• wp-content/themes/index.php
• ...

The new storage folder for personal data uses index.html with the text Silence is golden.

• wp-content/uploads/wp-personal-data-exports/index.html

Due to consistency the file index.html should not generate any output = be empty.

Not sure why index.html is used here at all, maybe to avoid putting a .php in uploads folder? Maybe somebody knows the reason, thanks for a heads up.

[rafsuntaskin]

Create consistent .php with commented line

[allendav]

The html approach was copied from WooCommerce. I am all for changing this to be more consistent with the rest of WordPress core.

[Ov3rfly]

Note that the filename also needs to be changed in wp_privacy_delete_old_export_files(), otherwise index.php gets deleted three days after installation by the clean up cron for old export files, with disasterous results...

[swissspidy]

I see no reason why this should be an HTML file.

Some hosts prevent PHP files from being directly executed inside the uploads folder (or even wp-content). In this case you'd get an error instead of a directory listing.

And if you get a directory listing, your hosting is poorly configured anyway.

[johnbillion]

The reason these index files exist is precisely for poorly configured hosts that do have open directory listings. I think this should be updated so the text is inside a comment.

The problematic code is inside wp_privacy_generate_personal_data_export_file().

[rafsuntaskin]

@johnbillion @swissspidy

Is there any problem with the provided patch?? I can update if needed.

Thanks

[audrasjb]

Fix: delete legacy index.html file

[audrasjb]

Hello,

In 44195.2.diff, added a check on index.html using file_exists() to delete 4.9.6 legacy files.

Not sure this is specifically needed here but I guess it is always nice to keep folders clean before adding new files :)

Cheers,
Jb

[Ov3rfly]

@audrasjb: Not necessary, the clean up cron will take care of this, if the filename is changed as described in #2.

[audrasjb]

Replace index.html with index.php in clean up function wp_privacy_delete_old_export_files()

[audrasjb]

@Ov3rfly you are absolutely right.

So I guess we need to add index.php to wp_privacy_delete_old_export_files() function.

[edit: okay, that's what you asked in comment #2]

Fixed in 44195.3.diff

Cheers,

Jb

[jorbin]

I agree with @johnbillion. This should be kept as an html file but the content moved into an HTML comment. Putting executed files in the uploads dir isn't something we should encourage.

[audrasjb]

replace HTML text with HTML comment to avoid to display anything.

[audrasjb]

44195.4.diff : Ok, let's avoid to insert any .php file in /uploads folder, and replace HTML text with a comment.

[Ov3rfly]

Due to consistency the file index.html should not generate any output = be empty.

An HTML comment is content. There should be no content. That's the main reason for this ticket...

[pento]

@Ov3rfly: Could you explain why you need this file to contain nothing at all?

[Ov3rfly]

Due to consistency the file index.html should not generate any output = be empty.

Serious software development needs ​consistency. Same rules should apply everywhere.

This ticket asks to follow a simple rule: No output from files which protect open directory listings.

With more consistency in everybody's mind, there would be a lot less tickets necessary, e.g. about bypassing existing filesystem api in #44204, and many more...

What a bug reporter personally needs or does not need is of no interest here.

[pento]

Thank you for clarifying why you made this ticket, @Ov3rfly. It's important to understand whether this was related to a technical requirement, or whether it was a style issue.

As it's a style issue, the more important part of consistency here is the presence of the comment, explaining that the file is intentionally blank, rather than the file returning no data when requested over HTTP.

I'm not particularly fussed that the current behaviour returns visible output, but I'm fine with changing the behaviour to that in 44195.4.diff​.

[ocean90]

4.9.7 has been released, moving to next milestone.

[jorbin]

In 43446:

Privacy: Silence is golden and invisible.

"Be more discrete." declared matt in [3155], and since then, "Silence is Golden" has been the calling card of placeholder index files. Historically, these have been php files, but [43012] changed that and added index.html files for privacy export generated folders.

The php silence files produce no visible content. This adds consistency with these new html files in that there will be no visible content. Silence will fall when the question is asked.

Fixes #44195.
Props audrasjb, rafsuntaskin, Ov3rfly, johnbillion, pento

[jorbin]

Reopening for possible backport.

[SergeyBiryukov]

In 43448:

Privacy: Silence is golden and invisible.

"Be more discrete." declared matt in [3155], and since then, "Silence is Golden" has been the calling card of placeholder index files. Historically, these have been php files, but [43012] changed that and added index.html files for privacy export generated folders.

The php silence files produce no visible content. This adds consistency with these new html files in that there will be no visible content. Silence will fall when the question is asked.

Merges [43446] to the 4.9 branch.
Fixes #44195.
Props audrasjb, rafsuntaskin, Ov3rfly, johnbillion, pento