GNU bug report logs - #15926
RFE: unlink command already uses 'unlink' call; make 'rm' use 'remove' call

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From: Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>
To: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
Cc: 15926 <15926 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>, Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigbrady.com>, Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>, Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Subject: bug#15926: RFE: unlink command already uses 'unlink' call; make 'rm' use 'remove' call
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 02:02:24 +0100

On 11/22/2013 06:39 PM, Bob Proulx wrote:
> Eric Blake wrote:
>> Bernhard Voelker wrote:
>>> Eric Blake wrote:
>>>> Just noticing this context...
>>>>>   # This test is too dangerous -- if there's a bug you're wiped out!
>>>>>   # rm -fr / 2>/dev/null && fail=1
>>>>
>>>> What if we use chroot to create a safer /, where failing the test would
>>>> only wipe out the chroot?
>>>
>>> That's not that easy.
> 
> I think that it would be too complicated to be desired in the test suite.
> 
>>> Alternatively, that test could be secured by "skip_if_root_"
>>> plus intercepting the unlinkat() call via LD_PRELOAD.
>>
>> Indeed, LD_PRELOAD is great for this - since the test passes when no
>> unlink/rmdir occurs, you just make the intercepts fail loudly if they
>> are invoked.
> 
> Please make sure that if the LD_PRELOAD functionality fails that this
> test is not run.  Since it would be a live fire exercise and if
> LD_PRELOAD doesn't function then the test would wipe the system out.
> I don't think it is worth the risk for this piece of functionality.

Sure, I tried to make it as defensive as possible.
WDYT?

Have a nice day,
Berny

From a87e3d0a8417648e65ee077ca6f70d5d19fa757a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 01:55:36 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] tests: add a test for rm -rf "/"

* tests/rm/rm-root.sh: Add a non-root test.
* tests/local.mk (all_tests): Mention the test.
---
 tests/local.mk      |   1 +
 tests/rm/rm-root.sh | 159 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 160 insertions(+)
 create mode 100755 tests/rm/rm-root.sh

diff --git a/tests/local.mk b/tests/local.mk
index 3c92425..1837690 100644
--- a/tests/local.mk
+++ b/tests/local.mk
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ all_tests =					\
   tests/rm/rm3.sh				\
   tests/rm/rm4.sh				\
   tests/rm/rm5.sh				\
+  tests/rm/rm-root.sh				\
   tests/rm/sunos-1.sh				\
   tests/rm/unread2.sh				\
   tests/rm/unread3.sh				\
diff --git a/tests/rm/rm-root.sh b/tests/rm/rm-root.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..3882289
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/rm/rm-root.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Try to remove '/' recursively.
+
+# Copyright (C) 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+. "${srcdir=.}/tests/init.sh"; path_prepend_ ./src
+print_ver_ rm
+
+# POSIX mandates rm(1) to skip '/' arguments.  This test verifies this mandated
+# behavior as well as the --preserve-root and --no-preserve-root options.
+# Especially the latter case is a live fire exercise as rm(1) is supposed to
+# enter the unlinkat() system call.  Therefore, limit the risk as much
+# as possible -- if there's a bug this test would wipe the system out!
+
+# Faint-hearted: skip this test for the 'root' user.
+skip_if_root_
+
+# Pull rm(1) the teeth by intercepting the unlinkat() system call via the
+# LD_PRELOAD environment variable.  This requires shared libraries to work.
+require_gcc_shared_
+
+cat > k.c <<'EOF' || framework_failure_
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+int unlinkat(int dirfd, const char *pathname, int flags)
+{
+  /* Prove that LD_PRELOAD works.  */
+  fclose (fopen ("x", "w"));
+
+  /* Immediately terminate.  */
+  _exit(0);
+}
+EOF
+
+# Then compile/link it:
+gcc -Wall --std=gnu99 -shared -fPIC -ldl -O2 k.c -o k.so \
+  || framework_failure_ 'failed to build shared library'
+
+# Verify that "rm -rf dir" basically works.
+mkdir   dir || framework_failure_
+rm -rf  dir || framework_failure_
+test -d dir && framework_failure_
+
+# Now verify that intercepting unlinkat() works:
+# rm(1) must succeed as before, but this time both the evidence file "x"
+# and the test directory "dir" must exist afterwards.
+mkdir   dir || framework_failure_
+LD_PRELOAD=./k.so \
+rm -rf  dir || framework_failure_
+test -d dir || skip_ "internal test failure: maybe LD_PRELOAD doesn't work?"
+test -f x   || skip_ "internal test failure: maybe LD_PRELOAD doesn't work?"
+
+# Remove the evidence file "x"; verify that.
+rm x      || framework_failure_
+test -f x && framework_failure_
+
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# exercise_rm_rf_root: shell function to test "rm -rf '/'"
+# Paranoia mode on:
+# For the worst case where both rm(1) would fail to refuse to process the "/"
+# argument (in the cases without the --no-preserve-root option), and
+# intercepting the unlinkat(1) system call would fail (which actually already
+# has been proven to work above), limit the damage to the current file system
+# via the --one-file-system option.
+# Furthermore, run rm(1) in the background and kill that process after
+# a maximum of 1 second or when the evidence file appears.  This also
+# shortens the testing time.
+exercise_rm_rf_root ()
+{
+  local pid
+  LD_PRELOAD=./k.so \
+  rm -rfv --one-file-system $1 '/' > out 2> err & pid=$!
+
+  # Wait for the evidence file to appear, or until the process has terminated.
+  for i in $(seq 10); do
+    test -f x    && break
+    kill -0 $pid || break
+    sleep .1
+  done
+
+  # At this point, rm(1) usually has already terminated.  Kill it anyway.
+  kill -9 $pid
+
+  # Get the exit status.
+  wait $pid
+
+  return $?
+}
+
+# "rm -rf /" without --no-preserve-root should output the following
+# diagnostic error message.
+cat <<EOD > exp || framework_failure_
+rm: it is dangerous to operate recursively on '/'
+rm: use --no-preserve-root to override this failsafe
+EOD
+
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Exercise "rm -rf /" without the --preserve-root and --no-preserve-root option.
+# Expect a non-Zero exist status.
+exercise_rm_rf_root \
+  && fail=1
+
+# Expect nothing in 'out' and the above error diagnostic in 'err'.
+# As rm(1) should have skipped the "/" argument, it does not call unlinkat().
+# Therefore, the evidence file "x" should not exist.
+compare /dev/null out || fail=1
+compare exp       err || fail=1
+test -f x             && fail=1
+
+# Do nothing more if this test failed.
+test $fail = 1 && { cat out; cat err; Exit $fail; }
+
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Exercise "rm -rf --preserve-root /" which should behave the same as above.
+exercise_rm_rf_root --preserve-root \
+  && fail=1
+
+compare /dev/null out || fail=1
+compare exp       err || fail=1
+test -f x             && fail=1
+
+# Do nothing more if this test failed.
+test $fail = 1 && { cat out; cat err; Exit $fail; }
+
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Until now, it was all just fun.
+# Now exercise the --no-preserve-root option with which rm(1) should enter
+# the intercepted unlinkat() system call.
+# As the interception code terminates the process immediately via _exit(0),
+# the exist status should be 0.
+exercise_rm_rf_root --no-preserve-root \
+  || fail=1
+
+# The 'err' file should not contain the above error diagostic.
+grep "^rm: it is dangerous to operate recursively on '/'" err \
+  && fail=1
+
+# Instead, rm(1) should have called the intercepted unlinkat() function,
+# i.e. the evidence file "x" should exist.
+test -f x || fail=1
+
+test $fail = 1 && { cat out; cat err; Exit $fail; }
+
+Exit $fail
-- 
1.8.3.1

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