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Why is apache2 trying to execute my CSS and image files?

I’ve struggled with this for two days, searching online for clues and answers, and found very little that is applicable to Mac and to CGI scripts. As I’m getting a 500 error, it could be many possible problems, but I think it may be as simple as apache2 trying to execute my non-executable files, i.e. .css, .js, .png, etc. My config file (removing commented lines) is this:

ServerRoot "/usr"

Listen 80

LoadModule authz_host_module libexec/apache2/mod_authz_host.so
LoadModule setenvif_module libexec/apache2/mod_setenvif.so
LoadModule mime_module libexec/apache2/mod_mime.so
LoadModule autoindex_module libexec/apache2/mod_autoindex.so
LoadModule cgi_module libexec/apache2/mod_cgi.so
LoadModule negotiation_module libexec/apache2/mod_negotiation.so
LoadModule userdir_module libexec/apache2/mod_userdir.so
LoadModule alias_module libexec/apache2/mod_alias.so

User _www
Group _www

ServerAdmin [email protected]
DocumentRoot "/var/www"

<Directory />
        Options FollowSymLinks ExecCGI
        AllowOverride None
  </Directory>

<IfModule alias_module>
   ScriptAlias /cgi/ "/var/www/mywebsite/cgi/"
   AddHandler cgi-script .pl .cgi
      SetHandler cgi-script
</IfModule>

        <Directory /var/www/mywebsite/>
                Options +Indexes +FollowSymLinks -MultiViews 
                AllowOverride None
                Order allow,deny
                AddHandler cgi-script .cgi .pl
                allow from all
        </Directory>

        <Directory /var/www/mywebsite/*>
           AllowOverride AuthConfig
        </Directory>

        <Directory "/var/www/mywebsite/cgi/">
                AllowOverride None
                Options +ExecCGI -MultiViews +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
                AddHandler cgi-script .cgi .pl
                Order allow,deny
                Allow from all
        </Directory>
        
<IfModule dir_module>
    DirectoryIndex index.html index.htm index.php
</IfModule>

ErrorLog "/private/var/log/apache2/error_log"
LogLevel warn

<IfModule log_config_module>
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t "%r" %>s %b "%{Referer}i" "%{User-Agent}i"" combined
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t "%r" %>s %b" common

    <IfModule logio_module>
      LogFormat "%h %l %u %t "%r" %>s %b "%{Referer}i" "%{User-Agent}i" %I %O" combinedio
    </IfModule>
    CustomLog "/private/var/log/apache2/access_log" common
</IfModule>

DefaultType text/plain

<IfModule mime_module>
    TypesConfig /private/etc/apache2/mime.types
    AddType application/x-compress .Z
    AddType application/x-gzip .gz .tgz
</IfModule>

TraceEnable off

And when I attempt to load my page, the Perl script runs, but the links embedded into the HTML that it feeds the browser are all getting http 500 errors (or 403 errors if I have removed "ExecCGI" from the base directory’s options).

Here’s what the log file shows after the page load:




[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (8)Exec format error: exec of '/var/www/css/MW.css' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW.css, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/new.gif' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: new.gif, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_LA.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_LA.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_US.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_US.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW.js' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW.js, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_TH.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_TH.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_VT.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_VT.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_SP.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:37:59 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_SP.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (8)Exec format error: exec of '/var/www/css/MW.css' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW.css, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_US.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_US.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_TH.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_TH.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW.js' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW.js, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_LA.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_LA.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_SP.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_SP.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/MW_lang_VT.png' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: MW_lang_VT.png, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] (13)Permission denied: exec of '/var/www/css/new.gif' failed, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl
[Mon Jul 19 17:38:01 2021] [error] [client ::1] Premature end of script headers: new.gif, referer: http://localhost/mywebsite/cgi/MW.pl

As that shows, even the image files are being treated like scripts that need to be executed! Naturally, they encounter syntax errors.

A little more info:

  • Mac OS X: 10.8.3
  • Apache Server version: Apache/2.2.22 (Unix)
  • Apache Server built: Dec 9 2012 18:57:18
  • Firefox: 48.0.2
  • file permissions for the image/css/js files are all set to chmod 644

Apache is hosting websites locally only–this is not an internet webhost. This is supposed to be for offline use and for development purposes.

Why would apache2 do this? What is wrong with the configuration?

Tags:

2

Answers


  1. Chosen as BEST ANSWER
    0

    Trial and error (guess and check) finally led me to the answer. It was one problematic line in the configuration file. Rather than delete the line, I have now commented it with a note to remind me to never again use this line!

    AddHandler cgi-script .pl .cgi

# ENABLING THE FOLLOWING LINE WILL MAKE _EVERY_ FILE EXECUTE!!!
#      SetHandler cgi-script

    That SetHandler cgi-script was pure poison. I never would have guessed--it had looked so innocuous and innocent, even needful.

    Without that line, everything works as expected again. The http response 200 for the images, css, and js files looks so beautiful now!


  2. 0

    Well, this looks a bit dodgy.

    <Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks ExecCGI
    AllowOverride None
</Directory>

    Firstly, this treats your entire filesystem (everything under /) as part of your web server. And secondly, you’ve turned on ExecCGI for every file that Apache serves – which would cause your problem.

    You also have your actual CGI directory (/var/www/mywebsite/cgi/) defined as a CGI directory twice.

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