[Python-Dev] what can we do to hide the 'file' type? (original) (raw)

Brett Cannon brett at python.org
Thu Jul 6 19:48:39 CEST 2006

On 7/6/06, Michael Chermside <mcherm at mcherm.com> wrote:

Armin Rigo writes: > I don't think I can "sign off" [on hiding the file type]. Really hiding > Python objects is quite hard IMHO.

I agree. But we don't have to give up yet. How about instead of hiding

file, we cripple it. Completely. Modify the file type so that when executing on a sandboxed interpreter, all of the dangerous methods and attributes of file throw exceptions.

This is basically what I proposed in the first place! <runs around in circles, pulling at his hair like a crazy man>

Then we create a separate thing (in C) called a "SecureFileWrapper".

It has methods that are passed a reference to a file object and can invoke the methods without error. We provide a means for obtaining a SecureFileWrapper bound to a given file (perhaps open()).

Yeah, it would be through open() if we returned wrappers instead of performing the checks directly in file itself.

Essentially, we give up on hiding file, which is a frequently-used

type, and very hard to hide, and instead we rely on our ability to write a reliably secure "SecureFileWrapper" class (in C).

That is another possibility. Should simplify the code as well by having less checks and just have pure PySandbox_IsTrusted() checks in 'file' itself in unsafe places instead of a ton checks that the file being accessed is allowed.

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