What considerations should be taken into account when allowing PHP scripts to execute root commands on a server?
Allowing PHP scripts to execute root commands on a server can pose a significant security risk, as it opens the door for potential malicious activities. It is crucial to carefully consider the necessity of granting such permissions and to implement proper security measures to prevent unauthorized access. One way to mitigate the risk is to use sudo with specific command restrictions in the sudoers file to limit the commands that the PHP script can execute as root.
<?php
$command = "sudo /path/to/allowed/command";
$output = shell_exec($command);
echo $output;
?>