WowzaMediaServer StorageDir escape (regression)

Product: Wowza Media Server
URL: http://www.wowza.com/
Description: WMS is a quite popular RTMP/HLS/HDS/RTSP streaming server

Issue:

In early 2009 I reported problem with processing of requests with
relative paths.

The issue surfaced again.

In a nutshell, you can escape Applications StorageDir using relative
path.

Lets say you have two applications:

• vod1 with /usr/local/WowzaMediaServer/content1/ as StorageDir
• vod2 with /usr/local/WowzaMediaServer/content2/ as StorageDir

Requesting to play `mp4:…/content1/file.mp4` from `vod2` will work
just fine thus bypassing configured StorageDir.

Possible workarounds:

• Implement custom module that supplies either
  `IMediaStreamNameAliasProvider2` or `IMediaStreamFileMapper` override
  which blocks requests falling outside configured `StorageDir`
• Use StreamNameAlias module to block requests with relative paths
• Upgrade to Wowza 3.5.2.06 (patch that hopefully fixes this issue)
• Don't use predictable paths

Timeline:

• 2013-04-06 Wowza Media Services contacted about this issue
• 2013-04-08 Wowza acknowledges this bug, no further info received
• 2013-04-30 Public release due to vendor's non-cooperation

M.

Michal J. <wejn(at)box.cz>
"I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love
than to be a success at something you hate…" – George Burns