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gh-149473: Emit audit event on calling os.environ.clear() #149768

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gh-149473: Emit audit event on calling os.environ.clear() #149768

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gh-149473: Emit audit event on calling os.environ.clear()
vstinner May 13, 2026
098ffe0
Clarify which audit event is emitted by os.environ.clear()
vstinner May 15, 2026
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8 changes: 8 additions & 0 deletions Doc/library/os.rst
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -219,6 +219,14 @@ process and user.
:data:`os.environ`, and when one of the :meth:`~dict.pop` or
:meth:`~dict.clear` methods is called.

If the ``clearenv()`` function is available, the :meth:`~dict.clear` method
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@picnixz picnixz May 17, 2026

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Suggested change
If the ``clearenv()`` function is available, the :meth:`~dict.clear` method
If the :manpage:`clearenv(3)` function is available, the :meth:`~dict.clear` method

uses it and emits a single ``os._clearenv`` audit event. Otherwise, it emits
an ``os.unsetenv`` event on each deleted variable.

.. audit-event:: os.unsetenv key os.unsetenv

.. audit-event:: os._clearenv "" os._clearenv

.. seealso::

The :func:`os.reload_environ` function.
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-05-13-12-16-54.gh-issue-149473.nOQZqn.rst
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@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
Calling ``os.environ.clear()`` now emits ``os._clearenv`` auditing event.
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@picnixz picnixz May 13, 2026

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The event is only emitted if we use the C implementation right? Otherwise os.environ.clear() is implemented in pure Python. I don't know if you want to update the Python implementation as well though.

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@vstinner vstinner May 13, 2026

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If os._clearenv() is not available, os.environ.clear() emits one audit event os.unsetenv per removed variable. Example:

import os, sys

os.environ.clear()
os.environ['key1'] = 'value1'
os.environ['key2'] = 'value2'

def hook(*args):
    print("audit:", args)
sys.addaudithook(hook)
os.environ.clear()

Output with os._clearenv() and this change:

audit: ('os._clearenv', ())

Output without os._clearenv():

audit: ('os.unsetenv', (b'key1',))
audit: ('os.unsetenv', (b'key2',))

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@picnixz picnixz May 13, 2026

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I think this should be explicitly documented actually. With the new docs, I think people could expect os.environ.clear() to emit _clearenv unconditionally. I also see that we say that unsetenv is called whenever we call os.environ.clear() but that's not entirely accurate either.

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@vstinner vstinner May 15, 2026

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I updated the PR to add a paragraph explaining exactly which audit events are emitted by os.environ.clear(). Is it explicit enough to you?

Patch by Victor Stinner.
4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions Modules/posixmodule.c
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Expand Up @@ -13663,6 +13663,10 @@ static PyObject *
os__clearenv_impl(PyObject *module)
/*[clinic end generated code: output=2d6705d62c014b51 input=47d2fa7f323c43ca]*/
{
if (PySys_Audit("os._clearenv", NULL) < 0) {
return NULL;
}

errno = 0;
int err = clearenv();
if (err) {
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