From 3164a815bc5f344688c6a16cd29beb6d5571dd59 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Abdessamad Derraz <3028866+Abdess@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:10:30 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fix: confirm the backup holder after writing

Between the check and the creation of the run folder, retrobios-backup could be swapped for a link. The holder's device and inode are confirmed unchanged once the run folder exists. Directory file descriptors would close the window entirely but do not exist on Windows; the remaining window is the instant between that confirmation and the move.
---
 install.ps1           |  2 +-
 install.py            | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++-----
 install.sh            |  2 +-
 tests/test_install.py | 12 ++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 34 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/install.ps1 b/install.ps1
index b0c0f1fe..b873d39c 100644
--- a/install.ps1
+++ b/install.ps1
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
     $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
     $defaultInstallUrl = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.py"
-    $defaultInstallSha256 = "c595032e68eec7573ad418cac8b906b0fc84a2253367f02e480d21eef94e1980"
+    $defaultInstallSha256 = "abc5b672e1d4b2f507b6d8c3d5c23a120a7dffea6e583559bdcc92c9cbbc7692"
     $maximumInstallerBytes = 2MB
     $installerExit = 0
     $installer = if ($PSScriptRoot) { Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "install.py" } else { $null }
diff --git a/install.py b/install.py
index 44a0a9dd..8ead9404 100644
--- a/install.py
+++ b/install.py
@@ -3443,19 +3443,29 @@ BACKUP_DIR = "retrobios-backup"
 BACKUP_MARKER = ".retrobios-backup"
 
 
-def _check_holder(holder: Path) -> None:
+def _check_holder(holder: Path) -> os.stat_result:
     """Refuse a backup holder the user's files must not go into.
 
     A link would send them wherever it points. On a system with user ids, a
     folder another user owns was not made by this user's runs, and its owner
-    could read or swap what is moved in.
+    could read or swap what is moved in. Returns what was checked, so the
+    caller can confirm the same folder is still there once it has written
+    into it.
     """
     info = os.lstat(holder)
-    if stat.S_ISLNK(info.st_mode):
-        raise OSError(errno.ELOOP, f"{holder} is a link")
+    if not stat.S_ISDIR(info.st_mode):
+        raise OSError(errno.ELOOP, f"{holder} is a link or not a folder")
     getuid = getattr(os, "getuid", None)
     if getuid is not None and info.st_uid != getuid():
         raise OSError(errno.EPERM, f"{holder} belongs to another user")
+    return info
+
+
+def _same_folder(path: Path, checked: os.stat_result) -> bool:
+    """Whether path is still the folder checked, not a link swapped in since."""
+    now = os.lstat(path)
+    return (stat.S_ISDIR(now.st_mode)
+            and (now.st_dev, now.st_ino) == (checked.st_dev, checked.st_ino))
 
 
 class _NotKept(Exception):
@@ -3511,7 +3521,7 @@ class KeptFiles:
                 if run is None:
                     try:
                         holder.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-                        _check_holder(holder)
+                        checked = _check_holder(holder)
                         for n in range(1, 1000):
                             run = holder / (stamp if n == 1 else f"{stamp}-{n}")
                             try:
@@ -3523,6 +3533,11 @@ class KeptFiles:
                             # Every name taken: never reuse a folder this run
                             # did not create.
                             raise OSError(errno.EEXIST, f"no free folder name in {holder}")
+                        # The holder checked before is still the one the run
+                        # folder was made in, and the run folder is a folder.
+                        if not (_same_folder(holder, checked)
+                                and stat.S_ISDIR(os.lstat(run).st_mode)):
+                            raise OSError(errno.ELOOP, f"{holder} changed while in use")
                         (run / BACKUP_MARKER).write_text(
                             "Files the RetroBIOS installer replaced.\n", encoding="utf-8")
                     except OSError as exc:
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 269d3f84..e2ff9b09 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ esac
 TEMP_INSTALLER=""
 TEMP_DIRECTORY=""
 DEFAULT_INSTALL_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.py"
-DEFAULT_INSTALL_SHA256="c595032e68eec7573ad418cac8b906b0fc84a2253367f02e480d21eef94e1980"
+DEFAULT_INSTALL_SHA256="abc5b672e1d4b2f507b6d8c3d5c23a120a7dffea6e583559bdcc92c9cbbc7692"
 MAX_INSTALLER_BYTES=2097152
 
 cleanup() {
diff --git a/tests/test_install.py b/tests/test_install.py
index 6dc20bef..4bde3446 100644
--- a/tests/test_install.py
+++ b/tests/test_install.py
@@ -5233,6 +5233,18 @@ class AFileYouHadIsKept(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(len(inside), 1)
         self.assertEqual((inside[0] / "x.bin").read_bytes(), self.OLD)
 
+    def test_a_holder_swapped_after_the_check_is_noticed(self):
+        holder = self.home / install.BACKUP_DIR
+        holder.mkdir()
+        checked = install._check_holder(holder)
+        self.assertTrue(install._same_folder(holder, checked))
+        holder.rename(self.home / "moved")
+        (self.home / "elsewhere").mkdir()
+        holder.symlink_to(self.home / "elsewhere")
+        self.assertFalse(install._same_folder(holder, checked))
+        with self.assertRaises(OSError):
+            install._check_holder(holder)
+
     @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "getuid"), "user ids are POSIX")
     def test_a_holder_another_user_owns_is_refused(self):
         (self.home / install.BACKUP_DIR).mkdir()