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Date:   Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:25:17 -0500
From:   Shawn Webb <shawn.webb@hardenedbsd.org>
To:     oss-security@lists.openwall.com
Cc:     Alejandro Colomar <alx.manpages@gmail.com>,
        Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-man@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [oss-security] [patch] proc.5: tell how to parse /proc/*/stat
 correctly
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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/VE6B=
BM) wrote:
> > > Dominique Martinet writes:
> > >=20
> > > > But, really, I just don't see how this can practically be said to b=
e parsable...
> > >=20
> > > 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 ...)
> > >=20
> > > Of course, this breaks backwards compatability.
> >=20
> > It would also break forwards compatibility in the case new fields
> > needed to be added.
> >=20
> > The only solution would be a libxo-style feature wherein a
> > machine-parseable format is exposed by virtue of a file extension.
> >=20
> > Examples:
> >=20
> > 1. /proc/pid/stats.json
> > 2. /proc/pid/stats.xml
> > 3. /proc/pid/stats.yaml_shouldnt_be_a_thing
>=20
> 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".

--=20
Shawn Webb
Cofounder / Security Engineer
HardenedBSD

https://git.hardenedbsd.org/hardenedbsd/pubkeys/-/raw/master/Shawn_Webb/03A=
4CBEBB82EA5A67D9F3853FF2E67A277F8E1FA.pub.asc

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