Wireshark · Ethereal-dev: Re: Disector categories (Re: [Ethereal-dev] Priv sep in ethereal)

[LEGO <luis.ontanon@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 18:03:38 -0800, Stephen Samuel <samuel@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
[snip]
> If we can find a way to meaningfully split ethereal into
> 'trusted' and 'quick N Dirty' modules, then it may be possible
> to create a setup where there is a 'default-safe' environment
> what won't have the BSD people worrying about what will happen
> to the next (naive) user who ends up getting 'owned' using
> an OpenBSD ethereal port (("It's from OpenBSD, it MUST be safe"))
[snip]

That brings back to my mind one thing I've being wondering about for a while:

What about pluginizing most dissectors each plugin made of a "family"
of dissectors.

In that scenario it would be easier to remove from the install those
parts of the code not considered secure.
 
That way we won't only have the posibility of having a secure (or less
insecure) disribution, but it would also reduce epan/dissectors (there
are 760 *.[ch] files there, about 730K lines).

Is there some reason not to do it?