Block FlashGet Site Explorer (spying your webserver directories)

spying your webserver directories

[robertico]

The download manager FlashGet (former JetCar) has a feature called "Site Explorer".

With "Site Explorer" you can browse through the directories of your web server (Apache).

FlashGet's "Site Explorer" fakes a Windows 98 system with IE
"GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 20385 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.00; Windows 98)"

With "Site Explorer" and the download manager FlashGet you can download everything that's displayed in "Site Explorer" (images, php-files etc)

From the manual:
The Site Explorer lets you explore FTP or HTTP servers. The site explorer acts much like a Windows Explorer.

Quick Info:
Just type in a URL into the address bar to start browsing!
Double-click any files to download them (or open the directory).

What can we do to prevent this. Some directories must have read rights to operate.

Regards,

Robertico

[edited by: jdMorgan at 8:28 pm (utc) on Aug. 25, 2005]
[edit reason] removed URL per TOS. [/edit]

[Xuefer]

ban "MSIE 5.00"

[Leosghost]

Spammy here today isn't it ...

[robertico]

What about normal users with "MSIE 5.00"

[robertico]

It's a serious question and has nothing to do with spam.
I give as much information as possible so you can see it's true.
I really appreciate a solution. I already tried Options -Indexes, but that doesn't work.

[DanA]

When you have index.html (or default.html or index.htm ...) in each (sub-)directory, then a 404 error redirection in .htaccess, the listing of files doesn't show and the user can only download the files he knows about.

[Leosghost]

It's a serious question and has nothing to do with spam.

Should n't have linked to it then ..please read the tos before posting ..especially when asking for help ...

the post reads like a precis of their press handouts ..

[robertico]

[Leosghost]
Sorry about that. I posted the link only for completeness, so that you can try it yourself.

[DanA]
I have a html file in each directory.
With a "normal" brower you are right, but FlashGet "Site Explorer" shows a directory listing even when there's an index.html (or what ever) in that directory.
Only password protected directories are not accessible (not hidden!)

[jdMorgan]

Robertico,

If a client cannot be effectively blocked by IP address or by user-agent, then it can often be blocked behaviourally. Two useful scripts have been posted here, one of which uses a honeypot approach, and the other which uses a rate-of-requests detection approach. I would think that either of them would be able to stop this client. See [webmasterworld.com...] message #9.

Jim