[Python-Dev] known obvious thing or bug (rexec)?

[Guido van Rossum]

> Perhaps the main features could be left in the core, without any real
> application being offered as part of the "batteries". This way, a secure
> environment could evolve in parallel, without forking the Python
> development itself.

Of course that assumes that the main features in the core are secure.
Samuele's observation that restricted code can modify a new-style
class passed in belies that.

> I was talking about major changes like type/class unification. I belive
> that major changes like this won't happen often, and that's the kind of
> change that affected the restricted execution so far.

As far as you know.  Every change is a potential security hole.

> One idea I was wondering is to provide a "hack me" machine somewhere on
> the web, including a hall-of-fame for those who break the system
> somehow. Hummm.. I must find some infrastructure to do that. Anyway,
> that could help us find some obvious problems quickly, but I understand
> it shouldn't affect the general decision of how to support restricted
> execution in Python.

Better put it in a serious chroot jail.  I think this has been tried
and broken into before.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)