apport-collect fails to discourage users from sending results to random bugs

Bug #485880 reported by Steve Langasek
12
This bug affects 2 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
apport (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Low
Martin Pitt

Bug Description

Binary package hint: apport

apport-collect is a very useful tool for submitting additional requested information against an existing bug. And it is very annoying when random people use it to submit irrelevant information to bugs that have nothing to do with them.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alsa-driver/+bug/466775 is an example of this. Three different people have gotten it into their heads (probably due to a post on some forum somewhere which I haven't been able to locate) that it's a good idea to run apport-collect against a bug that:
- they didn't submit
- they're not subscribed to
- is marked as a duplicate

It is my firm belief that users who aren't already involved in Ubuntu (they have karma, or are the submitter, or are a member of the bug triage or development teams) shouldn't have access to make such drive-by comments in Launchpad. But barring that, I think apport-collect should not facilitate them doing this.

ProblemType: Bug
ApportLog:

Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Nov 20 09:38:08 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
Package: apport 1.9.3-0ubuntu4.1
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-15.50-generic
SourcePackage: apport
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-15-generic x86_64

Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :
Changed in apport (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Low
Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

In Karmic we fixed apport-collect to ask

    You are not the reporter of bug 12345
    Is that really the bug you want to update? [y/N]

However, I agree that we should outright refuse operation if one of the other conditions (duplicate or not subscribed) is true.

Changed in apport (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → Martin Pitt (pitti)
status: New → Triaged
Martin Pitt (pitti)
Changed in apport (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

Trunk r1667 now refuses to update bugs which you didn't report, didn't subscribe to, or are a duplicate. If the user is not the reporter, you get an explanation and get asked whether to continue.

Changed in apport (Ubuntu):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package apport - 1.10-0ubuntu1

---------------
apport (1.10-0ubuntu1) lucid; urgency=low

  * New upstream release:
    - Add a mode for updating an existing problem report to ui.py
      (-u/--update). This is similar to the Ubuntu specific "apport-collect"
      tool, but implemented the right way now: In particular, this has access
      to the UI and thus can use interactive hooks (LP: #385811) and show you
      what is being sent for confirmation/cancelling (LP: #371827)

    - apport-bug: If invoked as "apport-collect" or "apport-update-bug" (i. e.
      through a symlink), run apport in update mode (-u <number>). This
      provides a convenient no-options command line program. Please note that
      setup.py does not currently install such a symlink. Update the
      apport-bug manpage accordingly.

    - launchpad.py: Use new login_with() to clean up code, and specify allowed
      access levels (WRITE_PRIVATE is the only sensible one anyway).
      (LP: #410205)

    - New hookutils functions:
      + xsession_errors (match lines from ~/.xsession-errors)
      + shared_libraries (determine which libraries a binary links with)
      + links_with_shared_library (test if a binary links with a particular
        library)

    - New CrashDatabase API: get_affected_packages(), can_update(), is_reporter()

    - Rename CrashDatabase.update() to update_traces().

    - Add CrashDatabase.update() for adding all new fields of a report. This is
      primarily useful for collecting local standard and package hook data for an
      already existing bug report which was not filed through Apport. This checks
      can_update()/is_reporter() if the user is eligible for updating that
      particular bug. (LP: #485880)

    - Ignore SIGXCPU and SIGXFSZ; thanks to Kees Cook. (LP: #498074)

    - launchpad.py: Do not mark non-Ubuntu bugs as needs-retrace, since there is
      no retracer right now. (LP: #489794)

    - packaging-apt-dpkg.py, install_retracing_packages(): Do not crash on
      malformed Dependencies.txt lines. (LP: #441709)

    - use-local: Fix for new source tree location of "apport" binary.

  * Drop debian/local/apport-collect{,.1} and install symlinks for apport-bug
    instead.
  * data/general-hooks/ubuntu.py: Do not report "corrupted filesystem tarfile"
    package errors. (LP: #320743)
  * data/general-hooks/ubuntu.py: Report "package ... is already installed and
    configured" errors against dpkg, not the package that failed. (LP: #467688)
 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:48:48 +0100

Changed in apport (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Jānis Kangarooo (kangarooo) wrote :

that i hope is making registered user declining to add info existing bug becouse that can be overcame and that is not needed couse some new info can be added.
heres new bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apport/+bug/537273
how its possible to make from bug fix a new bug. ok you think about it and make fix. im very depressed from this couse i try to make bug reporting work

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