From: Richard Hansen <rhansen@bbn.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 16:39:47 GMT
Subject: Re: [SECURITY PATCH] git-prompt.sh: don't put unsanitized branch names in $PS1
Message-ID: <535A8FD3.2070409@bbn.com>
In-Reply-To: <20140425073724.GA9384@xs4all.nl>

On 2014-04-25 03:37, Simon Oosthoek wrote:
> (though tbh, I think you'd have to be in an automated situation
> to check out a branch that is basically a command to hack your
> system, a human would probably figure it too cumbersome, or too
> fishy)

You can get in trouble by cloning a malicious repository and cding to
the resulting directory.  See:

    https://github.com/richardhansen/clonepwn

for a (benign) demonstration.  (Note the name of the default branch in
that repository -- it's not master.)

> 
>>>> + # not needed anymore; keep user's
>>>> + # environment clean
>>>> + unset __git_ps1_upstream_name
>> 
>> We already have a lot of stuff in the user's environment beginning
>> with __git, so I don't think the unset is necessary.
> 
> If people rely on the string being set in their scripts, it can be
> bad to remove it. But if it's new in this patch,

The variable is new.

> I don't see the need to keep it. Cruft is bad IMO.

Agreed, although I am willing to remove those three lines if that is the
collective preference.

-Richard