securely passing a password to subprocess.Popen via environment
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4
down vote
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I would like to securely ask a password to a user and then pass it to subprocess.Popen to run a command that requires it.
I have seen this question and that one, but I wonder if I can securely pass the password via the subprocess environment like that:
import subprocess, os
user_password = input("what is you password?")
my_env = os.environ.copy()
my_env["userpass"] = user_password
my_command = "python --version"
subprocess.Popen(my_command, env=my_env)
Will the password be flushed once the python script is closed ? I have look at the subprocess documentation but it's not explained.
When I add this line print(os.environ['userpass']) at the end of my code to print the OS environment, I can retrieve the user password. Do it means that the password can be access by the other running processes ?
Edit: I can't pipe the password as the command I use doesn't read its password from standard input
python security passwords subprocess
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
I would like to securely ask a password to a user and then pass it to subprocess.Popen to run a command that requires it.
I have seen this question and that one, but I wonder if I can securely pass the password via the subprocess environment like that:
import subprocess, os
user_password = input("what is you password?")
my_env = os.environ.copy()
my_env["userpass"] = user_password
my_command = "python --version"
subprocess.Popen(my_command, env=my_env)
Will the password be flushed once the python script is closed ? I have look at the subprocess documentation but it's not explained.
When I add this line print(os.environ['userpass']) at the end of my code to print the OS environment, I can retrieve the user password. Do it means that the password can be access by the other running processes ?
Edit: I can't pipe the password as the command I use doesn't read its password from standard input
python security passwords subprocess
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
2
I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible/proc/<pid>/environ(in linux at least).
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51
|
show 4 more comments
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
I would like to securely ask a password to a user and then pass it to subprocess.Popen to run a command that requires it.
I have seen this question and that one, but I wonder if I can securely pass the password via the subprocess environment like that:
import subprocess, os
user_password = input("what is you password?")
my_env = os.environ.copy()
my_env["userpass"] = user_password
my_command = "python --version"
subprocess.Popen(my_command, env=my_env)
Will the password be flushed once the python script is closed ? I have look at the subprocess documentation but it's not explained.
When I add this line print(os.environ['userpass']) at the end of my code to print the OS environment, I can retrieve the user password. Do it means that the password can be access by the other running processes ?
Edit: I can't pipe the password as the command I use doesn't read its password from standard input
python security passwords subprocess
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
I would like to securely ask a password to a user and then pass it to subprocess.Popen to run a command that requires it.
I have seen this question and that one, but I wonder if I can securely pass the password via the subprocess environment like that:
import subprocess, os
user_password = input("what is you password?")
my_env = os.environ.copy()
my_env["userpass"] = user_password
my_command = "python --version"
subprocess.Popen(my_command, env=my_env)
Will the password be flushed once the python script is closed ? I have look at the subprocess documentation but it's not explained.
When I add this line print(os.environ['userpass']) at the end of my code to print the OS environment, I can retrieve the user password. Do it means that the password can be access by the other running processes ?
Edit: I can't pipe the password as the command I use doesn't read its password from standard input
python security passwords subprocess
python security passwords subprocess
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
edited Nov 10 at 18:21
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
asked Nov 9 at 20:14
Enora
1,78422339
1,78422339
2
I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible/proc/<pid>/environ(in linux at least).
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51
|
show 4 more comments
2
I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible/proc/<pid>/environ(in linux at least).
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51
2
2
I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible
/proc/<pid>/environ (in linux at least).– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible
/proc/<pid>/environ (in linux at least).– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51
|
show 4 more comments
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I'd pipe it into the subprocess. Trying to hide it in the environment is maybe marginally better than on the cmdline, but it's still accessible
/proc/<pid>/environ(in linux at least).– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:26
It looks like the environment trick is just as risky on Windows too, btw (here)
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:30
Thanks for your help! Regarding cmdline. When you say cmdline, you mean this: I run the command directly in Windows command prompt, wait for the command to ask the password and then I type it? Is this unsafe?
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:48
regarding pipe: do you mean doing something like this stackoverflow.com/a/41094357/3154274
– Enora
Nov 9 at 20:49
(a) no that's safe, I mean when you first type the name of your program to call it -- that's the line I was referring to, not anything you enter subsequently. (b) Yes, that's what I mean re: piping it.
– jedwards
Nov 9 at 20:51