ipc security

[Safari77]

On linux, there are better ways to do the "check if process already running" and send messages.

One is abstract sockets via std::os::linux::net::SocketAddrExt, use SO_PEERCRED to check that connecting UID matches your own UID.

The other is zbus, dbus for rust which is best for desktop integration. If the request_name(...) fails because the name is taken, you know the app is running. https://crates.io/crates/zbus

On Windows you could also use named pipes
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/ipc/named-pipe-security-and-access-rights

[trypsynth]

Hi there,
We don't officially support Linux yet, although #197 is on my list to review when my life calms down a bit. What advantages do named pipes have over DDE from a security perspective?

[Safari77]

Hi there, We don't officially support Linux yet, although #197 is on my list to review when my life calms down a bit. What advantages do named pipes have over DDE from a security perspective?

DDE belongs in museum; it was introduced in 1987 for Windows 2.0. It is essentially deprecated and kept around strictly for backward compatibility. No ACL's. API is complex, stateful, and notoriously difficult to troubleshoot when things go wrong.

Named pipe can be combined with a Named Mutex. When your app starts, it tries to create a system-wide Mutex with a unique name (e.g., Global\paperback_mutex). If the Mutex is created successfully, this is the first instance. If the OS says the Mutex already exists, your app knows another instance is already running.