cat: get_input_type() must be function of fd instead of path to avoid TOCTOU race
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U - cat
- Dominant language
- Rust
- Stars
- 24.1k
- Forks
- 2k
- Avg merge
- 1d 5h
- Merged PRs (30d)
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Description
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at src/uu/cat/src/cat.rs around lines 431-436, following the linked implementation and its callers. Check how get_input_type() currently uses the path, then change the interface so it operates on the file descriptor and avoids the reported TOCTOU race. Done means cat determines the input type from the fd rather than the path.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- cli, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Estimated time
- 1-3 hours
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 65/100