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This week (39/2022) on the Pharo Issue Tracker

by Marcus Denker

This week (39/2022) on the Pharo Issue Tracker This week we merged 13 PRs: Fixes ===== Fixing ProfilerUI issues #11732 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11732 Prevent BlockClosure>>benchFor: to loop infinitely #11698 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11698 Integrate Roassal3 v0.9.9j #11728 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11728 Make title bar layout dependent on new settings option and OS #11719 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11719 11720-Improve-ReUtilityMethodsRule #11722 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11722 Upgrading the version of libgit2-bindings. #1616 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1616 <https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1616> Speed ===== 11725-Startup-Slow-in-OSX-previous-to-Monterrey #11726 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11726 Faster Array>>asX and Array>>as: #11716 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11716 Features ======== Add Point>>#isInRectangle #11721 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11721 allow to specify accept callback on an option list #1315 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1315 Cleanup ======= - Moving Deferred messages to instance side #11714 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11714 - 11631-Clarify-if-TViewModelMock3-is-in-correct-package #11690 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11690 Pharo10 ======= Pharo10: Bug fix + code cleanup for issue #11705: Error: Instances of RBProtocolEnvironment are not indexable #11706 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11706

Sept. 30, 2022

This week (38/2022) on the Pharo Issue Tracker

by Marcus Denker

We merged 13 PRs and closed 12 issues this week: There are many more PRs ready in need of a rieview: https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pulls Fixes ===== - Pharo11: Bug fix + code cleanup for issue #11705: Error: Instances of RBProtocolEnvironment are not indexable #11708 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11708 - Fix for segmentation fault issue on new Pharo 11 image #11715 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11715 - Integrate Roassal3 v0.9.9i2 #11711 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11711 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11704 - clean String reading from FFI to return bytes to allow decoding with any decoder. #11668 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11668 - DrTest see extension classes #11689 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11689 - fix testIconProvider #1314 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1314 - Adds a setting to change the default playground cache directory. #419 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/419 - [Debugger] Improving skipUpTo stability + reintegration in the advanced debugging tools #415 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/415 Cleanups ======== - 11613-Review-RBLiteralNode-classvalue #11701 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11701 - 4995-Epicea-fix-EpApplyPreviewerTesttestTraitModification #11691 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11691 - deprecate taskbarIcon and systemIcon #11695 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11695 Websites ======== - Fixed SSL problems with https://consortium.pharo.org

Sept. 23, 2022

Re: Recommendation for password encryption?

by Chris Muller

Ron Teitelbaum made a clever solution to resisting memory-scanning attacks when using private keys in an image. Upon asking KeyHolder holdKey: yourPrivateKey, it forks off a while loop which generates a random sequence of bytes (ByteArray) to encrypt yourPrivateKey with it. It then delays 100ms, decrypts the key and immediately re-encrypts it with a new set of random bytes (two new memory locations), and wiping the old random and old key ByteArray's. Repeat. The result: a memory-scanner attack needs to find both pieces of information (the random number and the encrypted key) in the image memory within 100ms. Obviously this consumes some processing power and garbage collection, but it's not noticeable. On shutdown, all instances are automatically wiped, saved images are clean of private keys. It's part of the CryptographyCore package on SqueakSource. http://www.squeaksource.com/Cryptography/CryptographyCore-cmm.9.mcz On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 9:59 AM <sean(a)clipperadams.com> wrote: > I feel compelled to revive this old (almost 10 years!) thread because Iâm > faced with a similar problem and certain points seem unresolved. > > Assuming that one needs the actual password in the image (in my case to > authenticate via IMAP), Norbertâs suggestion to have a helper app that runs > with elevated privileges makes sense, but Iâm wondering about a few other > comments: > > - > > Sven mentioned that itâs common to have sensitive info âlying aroundâ > on the filesystem, with .ssh being an example. However, my (non-expert) > understanding is that the best practice to add a passphrase to oneâs > private key protects against just such situations as we consider here, no? > - > > There seems to be a hard distinction drawn between memory and disk > storage. However, this being Smalltalk, this seems only to be the case if > the image is guaranteed never to be saved, otherwise its memory, including > any plaintext sensitive information, would end up on disk. > > As I was thinking through my use case, I was considering, for example, > storing the password in a non-string collection e.g. ByteArray, so that I > could use the password and zero it out in memory right afterward. >

Sept. 20, 2022

Re: Recommendation for password encryption?

by Esteban Maringolo

If you use OpenSSL (or any other crypto library) they provide secure memory allocation that can be used to store sensitive data such as keys, initialization vectors, etc. You can even encrypt the data stored there. Once freed, that allocation wipes the memory used. Of course there would still be the case of the String/ByteArray in the image or in method contexts when passed as arguments, for that there isn't much to do except if you pass that "allocation object" as parameter and convert it right to a String at the moment of using it, or better, map it and pass it to another FFI call. Also there is the risk of stack traces leaking sensitive information. It would be convenient to have a "SecureString" that is never dumped (and also has its secure allocation outside of the heap). Depending on where you run your software, having a password in the heap that is read from a file with the right permissions is all you need. I never needed to do any of the above, but I know some people that do, especially for desktop apps. YMMV. Best regards! Esteban A. Maringolo On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:59 AM <sean(a)clipperadams.com> wrote: > > I feel compelled to revive this old (almost 10 years!) thread because Iâm faced with a similar problem and certain points seem unresolved. > > Assuming that one needs the actual password in the image (in my case to authenticate via IMAP), Norbertâs suggestion to have a helper app that runs with elevated privileges makes sense, but Iâm wondering about a few other comments: > > Sven mentioned that itâs common to have sensitive info âlying aroundâ on the filesystem, with .ssh being an example. However, my (non-expert) understanding is that the best practice to add a passphrase to oneâs private key protects against just such situations as we consider here, no? > > There seems to be a hard distinction drawn between memory and disk storage. However, this being Smalltalk, this seems only to be the case if the image is guaranteed never to be saved, otherwise its memory, including any plaintext sensitive information, would end up on disk. > > As I was thinking through my use case, I was considering, for example, storing the password in a non-string collection e.g. ByteArray, so that I could use the password and zero it out in memory right afterward.

Sept. 20, 2022

Re: Recommendation for password encryption?

by sean＠clipperadams.com

I feel compelled to revive this old (almost 10 years!) thread because Iâm faced with a similar problem and certain points seem unresolved. Assuming that one needs the actual password in the image (in my case to authenticate via IMAP), Norbertâs suggestion to have a helper app that runs with elevated privileges makes sense, but Iâm wondering about a few other comments: * Sven mentioned that itâs common to have sensitive info âlying aroundâ on the filesystem, with .ssh being an example. However, my (non-expert) understanding is that the best practice to add a passphrase to oneâs private key protects against just such situations as we consider here, no? * There seems to be a hard distinction drawn between memory and disk storage. However, this being Smalltalk, this seems only to be the case if the image is guaranteed never to be saved, otherwise its memory, including any plaintext sensitive information, would end up on disk. As I was thinking through my use case, I was considering, for example, storing the password in a non-string collection e.g. ByteArray, so that I could use the password and zero it out in memory right afterward.

Sept. 20, 2022

Weekly "what happend on the issue tracker" archive

by Marcus Denker

Hi, I am now archiving the weekly mails here: https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-changelogs/tree/master/weekly/2022 (I will try to add the older ones slowly) We try to update the Release Changelog from the weekly all couple of weeks (just recording the important changes). This is now taking into account the weekly till 29/2022: https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-changelogs/blob/master/Pharo110Chang…

Sept. 16, 2022

This week (37/2022) on the Pharo Issue Tracker

by Marcus Denker

Even though the CI setup could not check Pull Requests for some days (fixed), we merged 18 PRs this week: Features ======== - Creating a user interface for Time Profiler and Andreas Profiler #11673 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11673 - FileBrowser loadable again: P10+ updates, multiple fixes #409 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/409 Fixes ===== - Improve FileReference>>= #11663 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11663 - Enabling formating of uncompiled method #11672 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11672 - Fix case insensitive auto-completion setting #11564 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11564 - SDL_HINT_VIDEO_X11_NET_WM_BYPASS_COMPOSITOR=0 on Linux #11664 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11664 - Reduce false positives of some general rules #11682 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11682 - Git: Make remote comparison work better between remotes with different urls https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pulse - 97-Inspector-Meta-tab-Browse-on-class-opens-UndefinedObject #416 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/416 Cleanup ======= - unify-category-Context #11686 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11686 - Corrected spelling per Issue #11674 #11675 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11675 - Cleaning CharacterSet class >> #allCharacters #11662 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11662 - Deprecated method Character class >> #allCharacters and replaced its references #11660 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11660 - Clean ast core #11681 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11681 Comments ======== - Expand Heap, Interval, LinkedList class comments #11667 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11667 - Adds executable comments to False and True classes #11666 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11666 Pharo 10 ======= - Revert "Creates Graphical UI for AndreasProfiler and TimeProfiler" #11676 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11676

Sept. 16, 2022

A/B Testing the latest VM on the Pharo repository PRs

by Guillermo Polito

Hi all, TL;DR; I propose we start testing the latest VMs on PRs to the Pharo repository in a "semi-randomâ way. The idea is to earn some confidence while having a small impact on all of you. ==== We need to slowly start pushing the latest VM version, right now hosted in the pharoX branch of the VM repository. This branch so far has all our latest work on the VM for at least one year. Some highlights Interpreter variable auto-localization (Feat/automatic localizationÂ pharo-vm#371 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/371>) Slang cleanups and improvements (Clean slang warningsÂ pharo-vm#413 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/413>, Fix while statement printingÂ pharo-vm#265 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/265>, CastÂ pharo-vm#230 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/230>, Clean slang warningsÂ pharo-vm#413 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/413>, Switch translation to CAST, and testsÂ pharo-vm#311 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/311>, Add several CAST translations and testsÂ pharo-vm#307 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/307>, Fix type inference testsÂ pharo-vm#291 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/291>) SIMD support in the JIT (Speed up object initialization in AArch64 using SIMD instructionsÂ pharo-vm#421 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/421>, SIMD bytecodesÂ pharo-vm#444 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/444>) Initial work on the perm space (Composed image formatÂ pharo-vm#377 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/377>, Composed image format: C translationÂ pharo-vm#388 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/388>, Refactoring of Snapshot and Loading of ImagesÂ pharo-vm#372 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/372>, Perm space on imageÂ pharo-vm#416 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/416>, New & old remembered setsÂ pharo-vm#418 <https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/418>) Many many bugfixes â¦ To not disrupt anybodyâs work, I propose to make some kind of AB testing on the CI, only impacting PRs to the Pharo repository. odd builds (1,3,5,â¦) use the latest VM even builds (2,4,6,â¦) use the stable VM This will make sure that: the latest VM will be tested in a complex scenario (load code, run testsâ¦) people that have a problem can re-run their builds to get a stable run Iâve made the following PR that follows this idea https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11678 G

Sept. 14, 2022

This week (36/2022) on the Pharo Issue Tracker

by Marcus Denker

We merged 24 PRs last week. Features ======== [improvement] add microsecond to API #11493 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11493 - adding entries in the debug world menu to enable / disable all breakpoints in the image #11614 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11614 - Adding an API in OCBytecodeToASTCache, RBMethodNode and RBBlockNode to map AST nodes to a pc range. #11651 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11651 Speed ===== - 11597-RPackagetoTagName-possibly-creates-an-extra-symbol #11604 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11604 Git/Iceberg =========== - Treat trait class side definitions like class class side definitions too #1609 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1609 - Fix/1426: ZnInvalidUTF8 when reading a commit message #1611 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1611 - When the remote server cuts the connection or there is an issue in thâ¦ #1613 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1613 - Only compute critiques when needed #1610 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1610 Fixes ===== - 11635-Compiler-eval-an-expression-with-halt-and-bindings-opens-Emergency-Evaluator #11637 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11637 - Attempt to fix scrolling behavior in RubAbstractTextArea & friends #11583 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11583 - Fix leaking subscriptions in SpRubFindReplaceService #11608 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11608 - Make explicit hostname and port work with bitbucket #11585 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11585 - Fix behavior of sum: on collections of doubles #11600 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11600 - FTTableMorph: Allow expansion/collapse of nodes using arrow keys #11644 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11644 - [Quick review] fix #11265: Underscore in class name breaks text completion #11487 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11487 - FTTableMorph: Pass some keyboard events to the filter field if it is focused #11647 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11647 Cleanup ======= - RubAbstractTextArea: Avoid a superfluous isNotNil in handleEdit: #11645 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11645 - Cleanups necessary in FreeType #11636 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11636 - 11558-leadingChar-is-provided-but-unused #11654 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11654 Comments ========= - Expand class comment for Set #11642 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11642 - Update vm links with the new pharo-vm repo #11652 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11652 - 11612-RBComment-class-comment #11653 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11653 Pharo 10 ======== - backportPharo10-11635-Compiler-eval-an-expression #11638 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11638 Pharo 9 ======== - Use iceberg 2.0.5.1 #11596 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/11596

Sept. 12, 2022

Re: Equality/Hash Modification and Image Rehashing

by sean＠clipperadams.com

Daniel Slomovits wrote: > A user working on their own application and modifying a #=/#hash implementation there has a very straightforward way to resolve the problemâ"reboot" their own application, tearing down and rebuilding any structures it uses. For a developer in the common usage, as distinct from a user, I suspect you may be right that itâs not too much of an issue. However, Smalltalk tends to erase that distinction and there seems to be a solid community who are both user and developer and âdo brain surgery on themselvesâ regularly. I am such a user and got surprised and a little damaged by this gotcha. > The thing is that the `Set/Dictionary allSubInstances do: #rehash` approach > is extremely heavy-handed. I agree. That would be one way to mitigate. Iâm interested in others e.g. a code critic or warning in the browser like some refactoring have.

Sept. 7, 2022