Michael B Quinion wrote:

>Now our new LISTSERV is ready to go, there's just the one thing
>left to do: update the forms on our Web pages appropriately. But
>here I've struck a problem.
>
>The World Wide Words web site is on a completely separate system
>to the LISTSERV. I have access to CGI/PERL scripting, so can
>create a form-based interface. But how do I write it so the
>LISTSERV will accept subscription requests and process them
>properly?
>
>The only way I can think of is to make the e-mail address from
>which the CGI submissions would come a list owner and use the
>ADD command. Is this how people do it, or are there security
>implications in doing this? Is there a better way?

I would imagine that, if it were so inclined, this is how people would do
it, but yes, there certainly are security implications.  For one thing,
you will probably want to have all such lists which are served by this
script to have the property of

*subscription=open, confirm

Otherwise, it is not all that unlikely that a disgruntled user, or an
inexperienced user, may wind up subscribing other people to any of the
lists for which this form would be used.

Glenn Alperin


--
One who refuses to speak has refused to have a voice.
One who refuses to have a voice will surely be forgotten.
And one who has been forgotten is never allowed to speak.

Glenn Alperin
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