oss-sec mailing list archives

Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly

From: Shawn Webb <shawn.webb () hardenedbsd org>
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2022 14:24:36 -0500

On Wed, Dec 28, 2022 at 01:02:35PM -0500, Demi Marie Obenour wrote:

On Wed, Dec 28, 2022 at 12:25:17PM -0500, Shawn Webb wrote:

On Wed, Dec 28, 2022 at 11:47:25AM -0500, Demi Marie Obenour wrote:

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.


I think the argument I'm trying to make is to be flexible in
implementation, allowing for future needs and wants--that is "future
proofing".


Linux should not have an XML, JSON, or YAML serializer.  Linux already
does way too much; let’s not add one more thing to the list.


Somewhat agreed. I think formats like JSON provide a good balance
between machine parseable and human readable.

As I described earlier, though, when it comes to concepts like procfs
and sysfs, I have a bias towards abandoning them in favor of sysctl.
If sysctl nodes were to be used, no new serialization formats would
need to be implemented--and developers would also use a safter method
of system and process inspection and manipulation.

-- 
Shawn Webb
Cofounder / Security Engineer
HardenedBSD

https://git.hardenedbsd.org/hardenedbsd/pubkeys/-/raw/master/Shawn_Webb/03A4CBEBB82EA5A67D9F3853FF2E67A277F8E1FA.pub.asc

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Current thread:

Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly, (continued)
- - - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Dominique Martinet (Dec 22)
  - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Jan Engelhardt (Dec 22)
  - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Lyndon Nerenberg (VE7TFX/VE6BBM) (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Shawn Webb (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Shawn Webb (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Demi Marie Obenour (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Jan Engelhardt (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Shawn Webb (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Demi Marie Obenour (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly John Helmert III (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Shawn Webb (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Alejandro Colomar (Dec 28)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Theodore Ts'o (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Demi Marie Obenour (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Alan Coopersmith (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Steffen Nurpmeso (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly David A. Wheeler (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Jeffrey Walton (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Steffen Nurpmeso (Dec 29)
    - Re: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly Steffen Nurpmeso (Dec 28)
    - RE: [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat correctly David Laight (Dec 31)

(Thread continues...)