linux-kernel - Re: [oss-security] [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <Y6xzIR9P+a6uaaEx@itl-email>
Date:   Wed, 28 Dec 2022 11:47:25 -0500
From:   Demi Marie Obenour <demi@...isiblethingslab.com>
To:     oss-security@...ts.openwall.com
Cc:     Alejandro Colomar <alx.manpages@...il.com>,
        Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@...il.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-man@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [oss-security] [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat
 correctly

On Wed, Dec 28, 2022 at 10:24:58AM -0500, Shawn Webb wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 27, 2022 at 04:44:49PM -0800, Lyndon Nerenberg (VE7TFX/VE6BBM) wrote:
> > Dominique Martinet writes:
> > 
> > > But, really, I just don't see how this can practically be said to be parsable...
> > 
> > In its current form it never will be.  The solution is to place
> > this variable-length field last.  Then you can "cut -d ' ' -f 51-"
> > to get the command+args part (assuming I counted all those fields
> > correctly ...)
> > 
> > Of course, this breaks backwards compatability.
> 
> It would also break forwards compatibility in the case new fields
> needed to be added.
> 
> The only solution would be a libxo-style feature wherein a
> machine-parseable format is exposed by virtue of a file extension.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> 1. /proc/pid/stats.json
> 2. /proc/pid/stats.xml
> 3. /proc/pid/stats.yaml_shouldnt_be_a_thing

A binary format would be even better.  No risk of ambiguity.
-- 
Sincerely,
Demi Marie Obenour (she/her/hers)
Invisible Things Lab

Download attachment "signature.asc" of type "application/pgp-signature" (834 bytes)