[ruby-core:113415] [Ruby master Feature#19630] [RFC] Deprecate `Kernel.open("|command-here")` due to frequent security issues

Issue #19630 has been updated by mdalessio (Mike Dalessio).


I enthusiastically support this suggestion. This is something that even experienced Ruby developers frequently forget about. I think it would be wise to evolve this API towards being "secure by default", even if that means forcing users to be explicit about the class or module.


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Feature #19630: [RFC] Deprecate `Kernel.open("|command-here")` due to frequent security issues
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/19630#change-102987

* Author: postmodern (Hal Brodigan)
* Status: Open
* Priority: Normal
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`Kernel.open()` is the source of numerous [1] security [2] issues [3], due to the fact that it can be used to execute commands if given a String argument of the form `"|command-here"`. However, in most uses of `Kernel.open()` the developer appears to either want to open a local file, or if 'open-uri' was explicitly required open a remote URI. We should deprecate calling `Kernel.open()` with a `"|command-here"` style arguments, with a warning message instructing the developer to use `IO.popen()` instead. Eventually, support for `Kernel.open("|command-here")` could be removed completely, in favor of having the developer explicitly call `IO.popen()` or `URI.open()`.

[1]: https://45w1nkv.medium.com/ruby-code-vulnerability-analysis-confirmsnssubscription-rce-8a902d9afdd7
[2]: https://bishopfox.com/blog/ruby-vulnerabilities-exploits
[3]: https://blog.heroku.com/identifying-ruby-ftp-cve



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