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Bug #79108 Referencing argument in a function makes it a reference in the stack trace
Submitted: 2020-01-13 10:26 UTC Modified: 2020-07-23 20:59 UTC
Votes:1
Avg. Score:4.0 ± 0.0
Reproduced:1 of 1 (100.0%)
Same Version:1 (100.0%)
Same OS:0 (0.0%)
From: tux dot jumale at gmail dot com Assigned: nikic (profile)
Status: Closed Package: *General Issues
PHP Version: 7.2.26 OS: 7.2.26-cli-alpine3.10
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
 [2020-01-13 10:26 UTC] tux dot jumale at gmail dot com
Description:
------------
Taking a reference of an argument makes it also to be a reference in the stack trace, which allows to modify the value from any nesting level via 'args' key of debug_backtrace

Test script:
---------------
<?php

function test(string $val) {
    $a = &$val;
    hackingHere();
    print_r($val);
}

function hackingHere() {
    // we're able to modify the $val from here, even though the arg was not a reference
    debug_backtrace()[1]['args'][0] = 'Modified';
}

test('Original');

Expected result:
----------------
Should print 'Original'

Actual result:
--------------
Prints 'Modified', because `hackingHere` unexpectedly gets access to the argument.


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 [2020-01-13 19:04 UTC] requinix@php.net
-Status: Open +Status: Not a bug
 [2020-01-13 19:04 UTC] requinix@php.net
Thank you for taking the time to write to us, but this is not
a bug. Please double-check the documentation available at
http://www.php.net/manual/ and the instructions on how to report
a bug at http://bugs.php.net/how-to-report.php

This changed back in PHP 7.0.
https://www.php.net/manual/en/migration70.incompatible.php#migration70.incompatible.other.func-parameter-modified
 [2020-01-13 19:32 UTC] nikic@php.net
-Status: Not a bug +Status: Re-Opened
 [2020-01-13 19:32 UTC] nikic@php.net
@requinix: That's the other way around: Changing the value in the function affects the backtrace. Here the backtrace affects the value in the function.

I don't think it's really a bug, but I'd be happy to change this behavior in PHP 8.
 [2020-01-13 19:39 UTC] requinix@php.net
Since the backtrace reuses values, if the variable was made into a reference then wouldn't that mean the backtrace gets it as a reference too?
 [2020-07-23 20:59 UTC] nikic@php.net
-Assigned To: +Assigned To: nikic
 [2020-07-24 10:23 UTC] nikic@php.net
Automatic comment on behalf of nikita.ppv@gmail.com
Revision: http://git.php.net/?p=php-src.git;a=commit;h=d65d3f5298dcc8d94bcac96e8bf2441dceb393ac
Log: Fix bug #79108
 [2020-07-24 10:23 UTC] nikic@php.net
-Status: Re-Opened +Status: Closed
 
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