[ python-Bugs-1077106 ] Negative numbers to os.read() cause segfault

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Bugs item #1077106, was opened at 2004-12-01 16:40
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by rhettinger
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Category: Python Interpreter Core
Group: Python 2.4
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Jp Calderone (kuran)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: Negative numbers to os.read() cause segfault

Initial Comment:
Python 2.3.4 (#2, Sep 24 2004, 08:39:09)
[GCC 3.3.4 (Debian 1:3.3.4-12)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for
more information.
>>> import sys, os
>>> stdin = sys.stdin.fileno()
>>> os.read(stdin, 0)
''
>>> os.read(stdin, 0)
''
>>> os.read(stdin, -1)
asdkljasd
'asdk\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00'
>>> os.read(stdin, 100)
Segmentation fault
exarkun at boson:~$

This problem persists in Python 2.4, although the
resulting incorrect behavior differs slightly (at least
on my build), as is to be expected of a memory
corrupting bug.

Note that the value returned from os.read(stdin, -1) is
incorrect in addition to the subsequent read segfaulting.


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>Comment By: Raymond Hettinger (rhettinger)
Date: 2004-12-03 23:29

Message:
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user_id=80475

In both Py2.3.4 and Py2.4, I get the following correct
behavior on WinME:

>>> os.read(si, -1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
OSError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument


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Comment By: James Y Knight (foom)
Date: 2004-12-01 18:11

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=1104715

This appears to be because PyString_FromStringAndSize takes a signed int 
for size, doesn't verify that it is > 0, and then adds it to 
sizeof(PyStringObject):
    op = (PyStringObject *)PyObject_MALLOC(sizeof(PyStringObject) + 
size);

PyObject_MALLOC will fail if given a < 0 size, but, if size is > 
-sizeof(PyStringObject), the object will be allocated, but too small. Then, 
memory gets clobbered.

If it returned NULL like it should, posix_read's error handling would be 
fine.


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