Re: rm(1) bug, possibly serious

Torfinn Ingolfsen wrote:
Oliver Fromme wrote:

$ cd /tmp
$ mkdir -p foo/var
$ cd foo/bar
$ rm -rf ../
rm: ../: Invalid argument
$ rm -rf ../
$

Note that the command "rm -rf ../" was entered twice.
The first time I got an error message (and exit code 1),
the second time it apparently succeeded. The very same
command.

What happens if you issue a 'pwd' command after each 'rm -rf ../'?
We want to see the output.

It's /tmp/foo/bar every time.

IMHO, the only way the second rm command *should* succeed, is if it
invalidates the current working directory, thus releasing the last lock
on the directory.

Quick testing here:
[...]
Ok, I think it is a bug.

Yes, I think so, too.

By the way, an additional confusion is that ".." and "../"
are handled differently. Specifying ".." always leads to
this message:

rm: "." and ".." may not be removed

and nothing is actually removed. It is confusing that
adding a slash leads to a different error message _and_
removal of the contents of the parent directory. Clearly
a POLA violation.

Best regards
Oliver

--
Oliver Fromme, secnetix GmbH & Co. KG, Marktplatz 29, 85567 Grafing b. M.
Handelsregister: Registergericht Muenchen, HRA 74606, Geschäftsfuehrung:
secnetix Verwaltungsgesellsch. mbH, Handelsregister: Registergericht Mün-
chen, HRB 125758, Geschäftsführer: Maik Bachmann, Olaf Erb, Ralf Gebhart

FreeBSD-Dienstleistungen, -Produkte und mehr: http://www.secnetix.de/bsd

"Perl will consistently give you what you want,
unless what you want is consistency."
-- Larry Wall
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