Re: PL/Python error checking

On Mon, Jul 11, 2005 at 08:13:24PM -0600, Michael Fuhr wrote:
> On Sun, Jul 10, 2005 at 12:58:24AM -0400, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > I am unclear about backpatching this.  We have to weigh the risks of
> > applying or not applying to 8.0.X.  Comments?
>
> Since 7.4, PL/Python is only available as an untrusted language,
> so only a database superuser could create an exploitable function.
> However, it might be possible for an ordinary user to tickle the
> bug by calling such a function and passing it certain data, either
> as an argument or as table data.  The code is buggy in any case:
> PyObject_Str() is documented to return NULL on error, and
> PyString_AsString() doesn't expect a NULL pointer so it segfaults
> if passed one.  Since the patch simply checks for that condition
> and raises an error instead of calling a function that will segfault
> and take down the backend, I can't think of what risk applying the
> patch would have.  The greater risk would seem to be in not applying
> it.

I haven't seen this patch applied to other than HEAD.  Since it
fixes a segmentation fault, should it be backpatched before the
new releases?

Here's the original patch submission:

http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-patches/2005-06/msg00519.php

--
Michael Fuhr