Review the draft

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Bradlee Speice 2019-02-17 15:04:05 -05:00
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@ -22,10 +22,10 @@ it's correct. There's ongoing work to [formalize](https://plv.mpi-sws.org/rustbe
the rules and *prove* that Rust is safe, but for our purposes it's a reasonable assumption.
Until it isn't. It's totally possible for "safe" Rust programs
(under contrived circumstances) to encounter memory corruption.
It's even possible for these programs to
["segfault"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmentation_fault)
when using an unmodified compiler:
(under contrived circumstances) to encounter memory corruption and trigger a
["segfault"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmentation_fault).
To prove it, this demonstration was run using an unmodified compiler:
<script id="asciicast-ENIpRYpdDazCkppanf3LSCetX" src="https://asciinema.org/a/ENIpRYpdDazCkppanf3LSCetX.js" async></script>
@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ when using an unmodified compiler:
[Wat indeed.](https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat)
There are two tricks used to pull this off. First, I'm making
There are two tricks needed to pull this off. First, I'm making
use of a special environment variable in Linux called
[`LD_PRELOAD`](https://blog.fpmurphy.com/2012/09/all-about-ld_preload.html).
Matt Godbolt goes into [way more detail](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOfucXtyEsU)
@ -73,24 +73,23 @@ Because this implementation of `malloc` is intentionally broken,
every program run using this library will crash. And I mean *every*
program; if you use dynamic memory, you're going down.
So how is it possible to run the Rust compiler in this environment?
`LD_PRELOAD` applies to all programs, so the compiler should also
encounter memory corruption and crash, right? The answer is that `sudo`
deletes environment variables like `LD_PRELOAD` and
`LD_LIBRARY_PATH` when running commands. While it is technically possible
to crash `sudo` in the same way using our evil `malloc` implementation,
the default policy is to delete these variables because of security concerns.
So how is it possible to even run the compiler in this environment?
Shouldn't `LD_PRELOAD` cause `rustc` to encounter memory corruption
and crash too? The answer is that `sudo` deletes environment variables
like `LD_PRELOAD` and `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` when running commands.
It's technically possible to crash `sudo` in the same way using
our evil `malloc` implementation, but the default security policy
deletes those variables.
Finally, why does Rust 1.31 work, and 1.32 fail? The answer is in the
release notes:
Finally, why does the program run when compiled with Rust 1.31, and not 1.32?
The answer is in the release notes:
[`jemalloc` is removed by default](https://blog.rust-lang.org/2019/01/17/Rust-1.32.0.html#jemalloc-is-removed-by-default).
In Rust 1.28 through 1.31, programs were statically compiled against
[jemalloc](http://jemalloc.net/) by default; our evil `malloc` implementation
never gets invoked because the program goes straight to the operating
system to request memory. However, it's still possible to trigger segfaults
in Rust programs from 1.28 - 1.31 by using the
In Rust 1.28 through 1.31, programs are statically compiled against
[jemalloc](http://jemalloc.net/) by default; our dynamically loaded
evil `malloc` implementation never gets an opportunity to run. However, it's still
possible to trigger segfaults in Rust programs from 1.28 - 1.31 by using the
[`System`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/alloc/struct.System.html)
global allocator. Rust programs prior to 1.28 aren't subject to this
global allocator. Rust programs prior to 1.28 aren't affected by this
`LD_PRELOAD` trick.
# So what?
@ -98,13 +97,13 @@ global allocator. Rust programs prior to 1.28 aren't subject to this
I do want to clarify: the code demonstrated here isn't a
security issue, and doesn't call into question Rust's definition of "safe."
The code demonstrated here crashes because the memory allocator is lying to it.
Even in mission critical systems, there are a lot of concerns beyond allocators; the
And even in mission critical systems, safety concerns go way beyond allocators; the
[F-35 Joint Strike Fighter coding standards](http://www.stroustrup.com/JSF-AV-rules.pdf)
give memory allocation about 10 sentences total.
But this example does highlight an assumption of Rust's memory model
that I haven't seen discussed much: **safe Rust is safe if, and only if,
the allocator it relies on is "correct"**. And because writing a non-trivial allocator is
the allocator it relies on is "correct"**. And because writing an allocator is
[fundamentally unsafe](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/alloc/trait.GlobalAlloc.html#unsafety),
safe Rust will always rely on unsafe Rust somewhere.