openwisp / openwisp/openwisp-controller
[fix] Device name corrupted by in-place mutation in _get_common_name() during VPN cert provisioning
@k-sumayya is already working on this.
Since Jun 13, 2026.
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Description
Bug Report: In-place Mutation of Device Name in _get_common_name()
Description
The _get_common_name() function currently truncates long device names by mutating device.name directly.
Due to Django’s ForeignKey caching behavior, this modification affects the original in-memory Device instance, leading to silent data corruption during VPN certificate provisioning.
Steps to Reproduce
- Create a
Devicewith a name exceeding the certificate Common Name (CN) length limit. - Trigger VPN certificate provisioning for that device.
- Inspect the
device.nameattribute after provisioning.
Actual Behavior
device.nameis unexpectedly modified (truncated) in memory.- This happens because
_get_common_name()alters the original object instead of working on a copy.
Expected Behavior
device.nameshould remain unchanged.- Only the certificate’s Common Name (CN) should be truncated for compliance.
Related PR
- #1294
Impact
- Silent mutation of model instances
- Potential inconsistencies across the application
- Hard-to-debug side effects due to Django ORM caching
Suggested Fix
Avoid mutating the original device.name. Instead, operate on a derived value:
cn = device.name[:MAX_CN_LENGTH]
without modifying the device instance itself.
Benefit
Ensures data integrity, avoids unintended side effects, and aligns with Django best practices for immutable model handling in utility functions.
Contributor guide
First steps
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- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Assessment
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