Change the transfer.fsckObjects documentation to explicitly note the unique security and/or corruption issues fetch.fsckObjects suffers from, since it doesn't have a quarantine environment. This was already alluded to in the existing documentation, but let's spell it out so there's no confusion here, and give a concrete example of how to work around this limitation. Let's also prominently note that this is considered to be a limitation of the current implementation, rather than something that's intended and by design, since we might change this in the future. See https://public-inbox.org/git/20180531060259.GE17344@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/ for further details. Signed-off-by: Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason <avarab@xxxxxxxxx> --- Documentation/config.txt | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+) diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt index 291b4f3c57..7ff453c53b 100644 --- a/Documentation/config.txt +++ b/Documentation/config.txt @@ -3408,6 +3408,27 @@ On the receiving side, failing fsckObjects will make those objects unreachable, see "QUARANTINE ENVIRONMENT" in linkgit:git-receive-pack[1]. On the fetch side, malformed objects will instead be left unreferenced in the repository. ++ +Due to the non-quarantine nature of the `fetch.fsckObjects` +implementation it can not be relied upon to leave the object store +clean like `receive.fsckObjects` can. ++ +As objects are unpacked they're written to the object store, so there +can be cases where malicious objects get introduced even though the +"fetch" failed, only to have a subsequent "fetch" succeed because only +new incoming objects are checked, not those that have already been +written to the object store. That difference in behavior should not be +relied upon. In the future, such objects may be quarantined for +"fetch" as well. ++ +For now, the paranoid need to find some way to emulate the quarantine +environment if they'd like the same protection as "push". E.g. in the +case of an internal mirror do the mirroring in two steps, one to fetch +the untrusted objects, and then do a second "push" (which will use the +quarantine) to another internal repo, and have internal clients +consume this pushed-to repository, or embargo internal fetches and +only allow them once a full "fsck" has run (and no new fetches have +happened in the meantime). transfer.hideRefs:: String(s) `receive-pack` and `upload-pack` use to decide which -- 2.18.0.345.g5c9ce644c3