Error message "500 OOPS: vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot()" - keep user jailed

Question

So far I have been unable to keep an FTP user jailed to their website directory. Is there a solution that both fixes this bug and keeps the user jailed to their directory?

My vsFTPd settings that I changed:

listen_port=9000
Set: anonymous_enable=NO
Uncomment: local_enable=YES
Uncomment: write_enable=YES
Uncomment: local_umask=022
Set: connect_from_port_20=NO
Uncomment: idle_session_timeout=600
Uncomment: data_connection_timeout=120
Comment out: #ftpd_banner=Welcome to blah FTP service. [should be on line 104]
Added: banner_file=/etc/issue.net
Uncomment: chroot_local_user=YES
Uncomment: chroot_local_user=YES
Uncomment: chroot_list_enable=YES
Uncomment : chroot_list_file=/etc/vsftpd.chroot_list

At the end of the file I added:

# Show hidden files and the "." and ".." folders.
# Useful to not write over hidden files:
force_dot_files=YES

# Hide the info about the owner (user and group) of the files.
hide_ids=YES

# Connection limit for each IP address:
max_per_ip=10

# Maximum number of clients:
max_clients=5

# FTP Passive Settings
pasv_enable=YES
#If your listen_port is 9000 set this range to 7500 and 8500
pasv_min_port=[port range min]
pasv_max_port=[port range max]

The user in question, mybloguser, is jailed to her/his website directory under /srv/www/myblog and this user is not part of the nano /etc/vsftpd.chroot_list file. The user’s home directory is also /srv/www/myblog which used to work in the past.

I tried the allow_writeable_chroot=YES solution which did not work, and actually broke vsFTPd completely.

I have tried:

• Fixing 500 OOPS: vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot ()

• vsFTPd stopped working after update

• vsFTPd stopped working after update

• Fixing 500 OOPS: vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot() on vsftpd

How can we both fix this error and keep the user jailed to their home directory?

Solution 1

After further review of this post, in the comments a package was posted that fixed my issue. You can search for it by either my name or "Marks" Documentation: http://www.benscobie.com/fixing-500-oops-vsftpd-refusing-to-run-with-writable-root-inside-chroot/. Here are my details of how I fixed this further.

USERS ARE STILL JAILED TO THEIR HOME DIRECTORIES!!!

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# SETUP FTP USERS --------------------------------------------------------------
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# create the ftp users and lock them to the website directories
useradd -d /srv/www/[website/appname] -m [ftp user name]

# set the ftp account passwords
passwd [ftp user name]

# add the ftp users to the www-data user/group
adduser [ftp user name] www-data

# BUG FIX: 500 OOPS: vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot()
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:thefrontiergroup/vsftpd
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vsftpd

# Edit the vsftpd.conf and append this setting to the end of the file to keep users' jailed!
nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

# add all of the text between the starting [[ and ending ]]
# [[

# Keep non-chroot listed users jailed
allow_writeable_chroot=YES

# ]]

# restart the service for changes to take effect
sudo service vsftpd restart

#test ftp via secondary terminal window:
ftp [ftp user name]@[server ipaddress] [ftp port]

Solution 2

For VSFTPD 3,

1. Go to: /etc/vsftpd.conf

2. and add this:

   allow_writeable_chroot=YES
   

   Just add it if it does not exist yet.

3. Restart the vsftpd service:

   service vsftpd restart
   

And it should work.

Solution 3

The real solution of this problem: the home folder of the user should not be writable only readable.

So, if user site is in the folder is cat/example.com/http/, folder cat must have chmod 555 and all will be OK.

Solution 4

According to the previous answer "The REAL solution of this problem: the home folder of the user should not be writable only read.". The general thinking is right, but with a wrong realization.

Below I'll try to give a simple example:

For a start, we need to build a topology of the user directory:

 /home (ro)
   |-someuser (rw,700)
         |-ftp_upload (ro,555)  - ch_rooting here, required read-only by vsftpd :(
           |-temp (rw,755)
           |-in_box (rw,755)
           |-out_box (rw,755)

vsftpd.conf cut:

# Enable chrooting
chroot_local_user=YES

# chroot all users except listened inside chroot_list
chroot_list_enable=YES

# Exception list. Ideally, it should be blank ;)
chroot_list_file=/etc/vsftpd/chroot_list

# Map ftp root directory to specific directory
local_root=/home/someuser/ftp

This configuration works great with a single-user configuration. For multi-user, the "user_config_dir" directive should be used additionally.

**UPDATE 20/09

------**

Here is tricky workaround, not best idea to use, but.... If u need writable ftp root folder, just insert permission change commands in pre-start and post-start commands.

1. Pre-start - change permissions to read-only, which the server requires (:

2. Start server

3. Post-start - change permission to read-write, or which you need.

Solution 5

It's pretty much what toastboy70 mentioned. Make ftp-root dir chown'd to ftp.ftp and non-writable (/etc/vsftpd.conf): anon_root=/srv/ftp

Then make a writable child dir: /srv/ftp/upload

View more solutions

Comments

[Paolopast]

Please Note: Chris's solution will add a third-party package server to your repository list! Why install a secure, chrooted FTP server when you blindly accept foreign software packages to be installed on your system. (Chris: I don't think that you will take advantage, but using this solution IMHO is bad sysadmining)

[Paolopast]

This Thread has 12'000 views, lets assume that 5% use your solution and added your repo. You could easily add a new version of a core package with a backdoor integrated. Within a week you could have access to 600 systems out there. I don't think that you would do that, but adding third-party repo is just not very safe.

[Paolopast]

(i've just see that this probably is not your repository server, so please understand the 'you' as 'the owner of the repository')

[Chris Hough]

You are correct, I did reference a posted solution in that blog article, I do not own the repo. I tried finding a back ported solution with no luck. Hopefully the formal package will be fixed soon.

[Kevin Bowen]

That makes no sense. The user's directory should not be writeable???

[Cerin]

How exactly is the user supposed to UPLOAD files if they can't write?!

[Chris Hough]

I tried many variations but could not make it work for a WP server. Is this working for you on a WP configuration?

[Reishin]

look to update section, mauby this variant can help u, it's not completely safe to do so, but if no other possibilities...

[sighrobot]

As @reto said it is too awesome for using this solution. And he said to install the new version of vsftpd by building it. So, why the ubuntu developer team upgrade the package in 12.04 repositories to solve this problem? Isn't it better?

[abumalick]

I didn't need to update from repo. For me adding the line "allow_writeable_chroot=YES" fixed the bug

[palacsint]

It works well for an anonymous ftp without upload rights, thanks!

[vimal1083]

@chrishough I am getting below error Connection attempt failed with "ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server". if i add allow_writeable_chroot=YES

[lucaferrario]

This works perfectly! Just create an home for the user with chmod 555 and then, inside that, create a home for the website (or websites), with chmod 755 or the one you need: everything will work and the user will have write permissions.

[Requist]

The questioner actually states that he already tried this and it did not work, so this is not an answer to his question.

[flickerfly]

Where can I read about the security implications of this choice?

[Sverre]

worked for me (this was also mentioned in the comment of the accepted answer)

[Manoj Sethi]

worked right away. Thanks.

[Admin]

Worked like a champ!