[Bug 1097467] Re: bash does not fulfill --rcfile option properly

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

This bug was fixed in the package bash - 5.2.21-2ubuntu5

---------------
bash (5.2.21-2ubuntu5) oracular; urgency=medium

  * Correct the bash(1) man-page to note that --rcfile does not prevent the
    execution of the system-wide /etc/bash.bashrc file (LP: #1097467)

 -- Dave Jones <dave.jones at canonical.com>  Tue, 16 Apr 2024 21:44:44
+0100

** Changed in: bash (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Fix Released

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1097467

Title:
  bash does not fulfill --rcfile option properly

Status in Gnu Bash:
  New
Status in bash package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  I am starting a bash shell using

  $ bash --noprofile --rcfile my-custom-bash-rc-file

  Due to the --rcflag, the newly started bash should *not* execute
  commands from /etc/bash.bashrc. That is at least how I interpret `man
  bash`:

        --rcfile file
                Execute commands from file instead of the system wide initialization file /etc/bash.bashrc and the standard personal initial‐
                ization file ~/.bashrc if the shell is interactive (see INVOCATION below).

  However, it seems that the commands in /etc/bash.bashrc are in fact
  executed.

  To see/reproduce/diagnose this, on Ubuntu I believe one can just
  invoke bash like this (as the regular user):

  $ touch testrc
  $ env -i bash --noprofile --rcfile testrc

  The expected result would be that nothing special is printed on the
  terminal. However, there is an error message, which is printed from
  /etc/bash.bashrc. The "env -i" causes $HOME to not be set in the
  invoked shell, which in turn triggers the error. The error message is:

  > To run a command as administrator (user "root"), use "sudo <command>".
  > See "man sudo_root" for details.

  Another way to see this -- without the "env -i" -- is to add  a
  command to /etc/bash.bashrc, such as

  echo HELLO THERE

  To trigger the bug(?), one can then just do

  $ touch testrc
  $ bash --noprofile --rcfile testrc

  The expected result would be that nothing special is shown in the
  terminal. However, it turns out that the string

  HELLO THERE

  is printed.

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