Bug 2898 - [improve] warning: the use of `mktemp' is dangerous, better use `mkstemp'
Summary: [improve] warning: the use of `mktemp' is dangerous, better use `mkstemp'
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: glibc
Classification: Unclassified
Component: libc (show other bugs)
Version: 2.3.6
: P2 normal
Target Milestone: 2.23
Assignee: Dmitry V. Levin
URL: https://sourceware.org/ml/libc-alpha/...
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2006-07-10 16:17 UTC by Jari Aalto
Modified: 2015-10-29 16:27 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Host:
Target:
Build:
Last reconfirmed:
fweimer: security-


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Description Jari Aalto 2006-07-10 16:18:00 UTC
This repost from 

  http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28310

in request of gcc maintainers to report this bug to glib. 

- - -

While compiling binutils-2.17 from (Debian) sources, gcc reports following:

    bucomm.o: In function `make_tempname':
    /usr/src/net/deb/src/binutils-2.17/binutils/bucomm.c:426: warning: the use\
 of `mktemp' is dangerous, better use `mkstemp'


The proper fix is to use `mkdtemp' in the code, but the error message
does not tell this. The developers may mistakenly disregard this
message when they think "Oh, I create directories and `mkstemp' cannot
create directories, so the warning does not apply to this code".

SUGGESTION

a) Add to the manual page, mkstemp.1, that this function works for files
   only. Add Crosss reference to mkdtemp and vice versa
   (from mkdtemp => mkstemp.1)

b) Implement better checking in gcc to differtiate directories from files
   when displaying warning about use of mktemp function.

   OR

   mention both mkstemp and mkdtemp in the warning message if the
   parser cannot know which is the case

- - -

Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.16-2-686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ISO-8859-1) (ignored: LC_ALL set to en_US)

Versions of packages gcc depends on:
ii  cpp                           4:4.1.1-3  The GNU C preprocessor (cpp)
ii  gcc-4.1                       4.1.1-7    The GNU C compiler

Versions of packages gcc recommends:
ii  libc6-dev [libc-dev]          2.3.6-15   GNU C Library: Development Librar\
i
Comment 1 Ulrich Drepper 2006-08-03 09:28:29 UTC
The man pages have nothing to do with glibc.  Do whatever you want.  I don't
intend to change the message since if a programmer cannot figure out that
mkdtemp should be used mentioning both functions will only further complicate
things.  If anything, it's an issue with the man pages.
Comment 2 Gleb Fotengauer-Malinovskiy 2015-08-09 08:16:04 UTC
(In reply to Ulrich Drepper from comment #1)
> If anything, it's an issue with the man pages.
Fixed in http://git.kernel.org/cgit/docs/man-pages/man-pages.git/commit/?id=9b44ad2028b6ae5ede880314e87c8b976e69b19a
Comment 3 Dmitry V. Levin 2015-08-09 09:39:03 UTC
I think it's time to reconsider this feature request.
Comment 4 Sourceware Commits 2015-08-27 12:50:58 UTC
This is an automated email from the git hooks/post-receive script. It was
generated because a ref change was pushed to the repository containing
the project "GNU C Library master sources".

The branch, master has been updated
       via  64d9cfd90e8f24815f5c99dc994ea0dacf773304 (commit)
      from  fff289f358ee26bb4cdd70f72f4b1b0e1a7d07a1 (commit)

Those revisions listed above that are new to this repository have
not appeared on any other notification email; so we list those
revisions in full, below.

- Log -----------------------------------------------------------------
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=glibc.git;h=64d9cfd90e8f24815f5c99dc994ea0dacf773304

commit 64d9cfd90e8f24815f5c99dc994ea0dacf773304
Author: Gleb Fotengauer-Malinovskiy <glebfm@altlinux.org>
Date:   Sun Aug 9 11:11:36 2015 +0200

    Mention mkdtemp as another secure alternative to mktemp
    
    [BZ #2898]
    * misc/mktemp.c: Add mkdtemp to the link_warning message.
    Based on patch by Aurelien Jarno.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary of changes:
 ChangeLog     |    6 ++++++
 NEWS          |    8 ++++----
 misc/mktemp.c |    3 ++-
 3 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
Comment 5 Dmitry V. Levin 2015-08-27 12:52:29 UTC
Fixed in master.