[Bug 1738673] Re: deluser --backup fails because tar --no-unquote option should be used

[jimav]

** Attachment added: "Demo/regression-test script"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/adduser/+bug/1738673/+attachment/5023900/+files/deluser_backup_test.sh

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Title:
  deluser --backup fails because tar --no-unquote option should be used

Status in adduser package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  deluser --backup --remove-home (or --remove-all-files) USER
  aborts if it encounters certain file names, for example the ubiquitous
  'C:\nppdf32Log\debuglog.txt' left in Linux home directories by Firefox.

  The root cause is that 'tar' helpfully "interprets escape sequences"
  in its filename arguments, so file names containing a backslash
  followed by 'n' are changed to contain a newline character, and other
  similar cases.

  The tar --no-unquote option prevents this.   So 'deluser' should pass
  --no-unquote to 'tar' when creating the backup archive.

  I'll attach a demo/regression-test script, but in brief:

  STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

  1. touch '/home/testuser/C:\nppdf32Log\debuglog.txt'
  2. deluser --backup --remove-home testuser

  RESULTS:

  /bin/tar: /home/.../C\:\nppdf32Log\\debuglog.txt: Cannot stat: No such file or directory
  (deluser aborts without doing anything except creating an empty archive file)

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
  Package: adduser 3.113+nmu3ubuntu5
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-19.22-generic 4.13.13
  Uname: Linux 4.13.0-19-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.6
  Architecture: amd64
  CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
  Date: Sun Dec 17 15:20:16 2017
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-12-13 (4 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" - Release amd64 (20171018)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  SourcePackage: adduser
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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