Refs #36769 -- Raised SuspiciousOperation for unexpected nested tags in XML Deserializer.

Thanks Shai Berger and Natalia Bidart for reviews.

django/core/serializers/xml_serializer.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from xml.sax.expatreader import ExpatParser as _ExpatParser
 
 from django.apps import apps
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
+from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist, SuspiciousOperation
 from django.core.serializers import base
 from django.db import DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS, models
 from django.utils.xmlutils import SimplerXMLGenerator, UnserializableContentError
@@ -411,6 +411,8 @@ class Deserializer(base.Deserializer):
         try:
             for c in node.getElementsByTagName("object"):
                 values.append(m2m_convert(c))
+        except SuspiciousOperation:
+            raise
         except Exception as e:
             if isinstance(e, ObjectDoesNotExist) and self.handle_forward_references:
                 return base.DEFER_FIELD
@@ -440,6 +442,8 @@ class Deserializer(base.Deserializer):
 
 
 def check_element_type(element):
+    if element.childNodes:
+        raise SuspiciousOperation(f"Unexpected element: {element.tagName!r}")
     return element.nodeType in (element.TEXT_NODE, element.CDATA_SECTION_NODE)
 
 

docs/releases/6.1.txt

@@ -303,6 +303,10 @@ Serialization
   ``()``. This ensures primary keys are serialized when using
   :option:`dumpdata --natural-primary`.
 
+* The XML deserializer now raises
+  :exc:`~django.core.exceptions.SuspiciousOperation` when it encounters
+  unexpected nested tags.
+
 Signals
 ~~~~~~~
 

docs/topics/serialization.txt

@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ lowercase name of the model ("session") separated by a dot.
 
 Each field of the object is serialized as a ``<field>``-element sporting the
 fields "type" and "name". The text content of the element represents the value
-that should be stored.
+that should be stored. (If the element contains child tags,
+:exc:`~django.core.exceptions.SuspiciousOperation` is raised.)
 
 Foreign keys and other relational fields are treated a little bit differently:
 
@@ -237,6 +238,11 @@ This example links the given user with the permission models with PKs 46 and
     XHTML, XML and Control Codes
     <https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-controls>`_.
 
+.. versionchanged:: 6.1
+
+    :exc:`~django.core.exceptions.SuspiciousOperation` is raised when
+    unexpected nested tags are found.
+
 .. _serialization-formats-json:
 
 JSON

tests/fixtures/fixtures/invalid_deeply_nested_elements.xml

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
     <object pk="1" model="fixtures.person">
         <field type="CharField" name="name">
+            <!-- This <em> is unexpected & invalid -->
             Django <em>pony</em>
         </field>
     </object>

tests/fixtures/fixtures/invalid_deeply_nested_elements_natural_key.xml

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<django-objects version="1.0">
+
+    <object pk="1" model="fixtures.book">
+        <field type="CharField" name="name">Music for all ages</field>
+        <field to="fixtures.person" name="authors" rel="ManyToManyRel">
+            <object>
+                <!-- This <em> is unexpected & invalid -->
+                <natural>Artist formerly known as <em>Prince</em></natural>
+            </object>
+        </field>
+    </object>
+
+</django-objects>

tests/fixtures/tests.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from unittest import mock
 from django.apps import apps
 from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
 from django.core import management
+from django.core.exceptions import SuspiciousOperation
 from django.core.files.temp import NamedTemporaryFile
 from django.core.management import CommandError
 from django.core.management.commands.dumpdata import ProxyModelWarning
@@ -23,7 +24,6 @@ from .models import (
     CircularA,
     CircularB,
     NaturalKeyThing,
-    Person,
     PrimaryKeyUUIDModel,
     ProxySpy,
     Spy,
@@ -522,12 +522,13 @@ class FixtureLoadingTests(DumpDataAssertMixin, TestCase):
         )
 
     def test_deeply_nested_elements(self):
-        """Text inside deeply-nested tags is skipped."""
-        management.call_command(
-            "loaddata", "invalid_deeply_nested_elements.xml", verbosity=0
-        )
-        person = Person.objects.get(pk=1)
-        self.assertEqual(person.name, "Django")  # not "Django pony"
+        """Text inside deeply-nested tags raises SuspiciousOperation."""
+        for file in [
+            "invalid_deeply_nested_elements.xml",
+            "invalid_deeply_nested_elements_natural_key.xml",
+        ]:
+            with self.subTest(file=file), self.assertRaises(SuspiciousOperation):
+                management.call_command("loaddata", file, verbosity=0)
 
     def test_dumpdata_with_excludes(self):
         # Load fixture1 which has a site, two articles, and a category

tests/serializers/test_deserialization.py

@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 import json
-import time
+import textwrap
 import unittest
 
+from django.core.exceptions import SuspiciousOperation
 from django.core.serializers.base import DeserializationError, DeserializedObject
 from django.core.serializers.json import Deserializer as JsonDeserializer
 from django.core.serializers.jsonl import Deserializer as JsonlDeserializer
 from django.core.serializers.python import Deserializer
 from django.core.serializers.xml_serializer import Deserializer as XMLDeserializer
-from django.db import models
 from django.test import SimpleTestCase
-from django.test.utils import garbage_collect
 
 from .models import Author
 
@@ -138,52 +137,23 @@ class TestDeserializer(SimpleTestCase):
         self.assertEqual(first_item.object, self.jane)
         self.assertEqual(second_item.object, self.joe)
 
-    def test_crafted_xml_performance(self):
-        """The time to process invalid inputs is not quadratic."""
-
-        def build_crafted_xml(depth, leaf_text_len):
-            nested_open = "<nested>" * depth
-            nested_close = "</nested>" * depth
-            leaf = "x" * leaf_text_len
-            field_content = f"{nested_open}{leaf}{nested_close}"
-            return f"""
-                <django-objects version="1.0">
-                   <object model="contenttypes.contenttype" pk="1">
-                      <field name="app_label">{field_content}</field>
-                      <field name="model">m</field>
-                   </object>
-                </django-objects>
-            """
-
-        def deserialize(crafted_xml):
-            iterator = XMLDeserializer(crafted_xml)
-            garbage_collect()
-
-            start_time = time.perf_counter()
-            result = list(iterator)
-            end_time = time.perf_counter()
-
-            self.assertEqual(len(result), 1)
-            self.assertIsInstance(result[0].object, models.Model)
-            return end_time - start_time
-
-        def assertFactor(label, params, factor=2):
-            factors = []
-            prev_time = None
-            for depth, length in params:
-                crafted_xml = build_crafted_xml(depth, length)
-                elapsed = deserialize(crafted_xml)
-                if prev_time is not None:
-                    factors.append(elapsed / prev_time)
-                prev_time = elapsed
-
-            with self.subTest(label):
-                # Assert based on the average factor to reduce test flakiness.
-                self.assertLessEqual(sum(factors) / len(factors), factor)
-
-        assertFactor(
-            "varying depth, varying length",
-            [(50, 2000), (100, 4000), (200, 8000), (400, 16000), (800, 32000)],
-            2,
+    def test_crafted_xml_rejected(self):
+        depth = 100
+        leaf_text_len = 1000
+        nested_open = "<nested>" * depth
+        nested_close = "</nested>" * depth
+        leaf = "x" * leaf_text_len
+        field_content = f"{nested_open}{leaf}{nested_close}"
+        crafted_xml = textwrap.dedent(
+            f"""
+        <django-objects version="1.0">
+            <object model="contenttypes.contenttype" pk="1">
+                <field name="app_label">{field_content}</field>
+                <field name="model">m</field>
+            </object>
+        </django-objects>"""
         )
-        assertFactor("constant depth, varying length", [(100, 1), (100, 1000)], 2)
+
+        msg = "Unexpected element: 'nested'"
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(SuspiciousOperation, msg):
+            list(XMLDeserializer(crafted_xml))