command [argument ...] in ssh(1): a footgun

[raf]

On Wed, May 31, 2023 at 07:46:49AM +0100, Brian Candler <b.candler at pobox.com> wrote:

> On 31/05/2023 05:14, raf wrote:
> > Actually, I'm trying to find the mention in the manpage
> > that started this and can't find it. It doesn't mention
> > [arguments...] after [command] like I think the OP
> > asked to have removed. I must be misremembering. The
> > synopsis ends with: "[command]". And the DESCRIPTION
> > section (paragraph 3) says:
> > 
> >    If a command is specified, it is executed on the
> >    remote host instead of a login shell.
> > 
> > I can't see where it says that arguments are joined
> > with a space. Maybe I'm reading it wrong.
> 
> I'm on macOS with ssh installed from homebrew.
> 
> $ ssh -V
> OpenSSH_9.2p1, OpenSSL 1.1.1t  7 Feb 2023
> 
> "man ssh" starts as follows:
> 
> SSH(1)                            General Commands
> Manual                           SSH(1)
> 
> NAME
>      ssh – OpenSSH remote login client
> 
> SYNOPSIS
>      ssh [-46AaCfGgKkMNnqsTtVvXxYy] [-B bind_interface] [-b bind_address]
> [-c cipher_spec]
>          [-D [bind_address:]port] [-E log_file] [-e escape_char] [-F
> configfile]
>          [-I pkcs11] [-i identity_file] [-J destination] [-L address] [-l
> login_name]
>          [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port] [-Q query_option]
> [-R address]
>          [-S ctl_path] [-W host:port] [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]]
> destination
> *[command [argument ...]]*

Thanks. I was reading it on debian stable:

  SSH(1)              BSD General Commands Manual                     SSH(1)

  NAME
     ssh — OpenSSH remote login client

  SYNOPSIS
     ssh [-46AaCfGgKkMN......address] [-c cipher_spec] [-D [bind_address:]port]
         [-E log_file] ......1] [-i identity_file] [-J destination] [-L address]
         [-l login_name......-p port] [-Q query_option] [-R address]
         [-S ctl_path] ...... destination [command]

It's an older version:

OpenSSH_8.4p1 Debian-5+deb11u1, OpenSSL 1.1.1n  15 Mar 2022

cheers,
raf