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Application.load_config_file loads all files with same basename as given file #850

@maxnoe

Description

@maxnoe

Even if load_config_file is given an absolute path to a config file, it will load all files that have the same basename that are in that directory.

This is highly surprising and potentially a security issue.

Example:

from pathlib import Path
from traitlets import Integer
from traitlets.config import Application
from tempfile import TemporaryDirectory


class Foo(Application):
    bar = Integer(0).tag(config=True)

    def start(self):
        print(self.bar)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    with TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
        tmpdir = Path(tmpdir)
        json_path = tmpdir / "foo.json"
        py_path = tmpdir / "foo.py"

        # valid python, invalid
        py_path.write_text("c.Foo.bar = 10")
        json_path.write_text("Invalid json")

        app = Foo()
        app.load_config_file(py_path)
        app.start()

        # other way around
        py_path.write_text("raise Exception('You loaded the python file!')")
        json_path.write_text('{"Foo": {"bar": 11}}')

        app = Foo()
        app.load_config_file(json_path)
        app.start()

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