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From: Mark Biggar <mark.a.biggar@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: if file exist
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 21:59:53 GMT
Date: 2002-09-27T21:59:53+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <3D94D418.5010604@attbi.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 8db3d6c8.0209270247.5bf07ae5@posting.google.com

steve_H wrote:
> Robert A Duff <bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com> wrote in message news:<wccadm41jqs.fsf@shell01.TheWorld.com>... 
>>I don't agree that "a general solution is not possible".
>>A File_Exists return Boolean function makes perfect sense.
>>Of course it returns False if the file is invisible to the 
>>current process (because it "exists" in an inaccessible directory).
>>To *this* process, that file does not exist.
> But the above is not logical. If your function return FALSE, then one
> does not know if this means the file actually does not exist, or that 
> the function was not able to determine if it exist or not becuase of 
> permission issues.  The user might want to know this.

No, from a computer security point of view, this is exactly what is
wanted.  A user should see absolutely no difference between "file does
not exist" and "you don't have permission to see the file".  Otherwise,
you have introduced a covert information channel.

-- 
Mark Biggar
mark.a.biggar@attbi.com




  parent reply	other threads:[~2002-09-27 21:59 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 34+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
     [not found] <mailman.1032687678.1150.comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org>
2002-09-22  9:58 ` if file exist Preben Randhol
2002-09-22 19:25   ` Keith Thompson
2002-09-22 11:26 ` Dale Stanbrough
2002-09-22 14:45   ` Simon Wright
2002-09-22 17:24     ` Frank J. Lhota
2002-09-22 19:24     ` Keith Thompson
2002-09-22 22:20     ` Dale Stanbrough
2002-09-23  5:14       ` Simon Wright
2002-09-23 12:38         ` Larry Kilgallen
2002-09-26  0:39           ` Nick Roberts
2002-09-26 16:48             ` Warren W. Gay VE3WWG
2002-09-26 22:14               ` Robert A Duff
2002-09-27 10:47                 ` steve_H
2002-09-27 14:01                   ` Robert A Duff
2002-09-27 18:43                   ` Randy Brukardt
2002-09-28  1:17                     ` Keith Thompson
2002-09-28 13:04                       ` Marin David Condic
2002-09-29  4:50                         ` Keith Thompson
2002-09-29  5:13                           ` Christopher Browne
2002-09-27 21:59                   ` Mark Biggar [this message]
2002-09-27 23:09                     ` Larry Kilgallen
2002-10-04 20:56                     ` Stefan Skoglund
2002-10-05 13:59                       ` Robert A Duff
2002-10-06 20:35                         ` Keith Thompson
2002-10-07  0:34                       ` Robert A Duff
2002-10-07  5:42                     ` David Thompson
2002-10-13 17:05                       ` Larry Kilgallen
2002-10-21  2:17                         ` David Thompson
2002-09-22 11:55 ` Per Sandbergs
2002-09-22 22:29 ` SteveD
2002-09-23  1:53   ` if_file_exist : it's working thankyou all! Dominic D'Apice
2002-09-23  5:25     ` Simon Wright
2002-09-23 23:59       ` Dominic D'Apice
2002-09-25 19:13         ` Simon Wright
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