14286 - PL_HashString() with CRASH if key is NULL

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(NSPR :: NSPR, defect, P3)

Description

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

PL_HashString(const void *key) will crash if it is passed NULL.

see bug #14285 to see when this happens.

Comment 1

[srinivas]

What exactly is the bug?

Comment 2

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

the bug is you need to add a null check to PL_HashString()
so it won't crash if someone passes it a null.

Comment 3

[Wan-Teh Chang]

In mozilla/nsprpub/lib/ds/plhash.h, we have:
    typedef PRUint32 PLHashNumber;

    PR_EXTERN(PLHashNumber)
    PL_HashString(const void *key);

Since PLHashNumber is unsigned, it isn't clear
what PL_HashString should return if someone
passes it a null.  A null is an invalid argument.
The unsigned return type of PLHashNumber makes
it impossible to return a failure status.

This is similar to the string functions in <string.h>.
It is not specified what these functions should return
when they are passed (invalid) null arguments.

Comment 4

[srinivas]

That is exactly the point; it is not possible to return a BAD_ARGUMENT error.
If anything, an assert statement should be added to check for null pointers.

Comment 5

[srinivas]

Marking the bug invalid.

Comment 6

[leger]

Adding crash keyword