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StarDict sends X11 clipboard to remote servers

lwn.net

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Re: StarDict sends X11 clipboard to remote servers

#4

Post by CGamesPlay »

It's really difficult to not assume malice with something like this. From the maintainer:

> The stardict has "Scan" function, when user enable this function, after user select some text, it will trigger stardict do translate for this selected text... Why the user selects some confidential data to query dictionary?

Re: StarDict sends X11 clipboard to remote servers

#5

Post by therein »

userbinator wrote: post #3

[flagged]

I have seen people paste their seed phrase into the URL bar in Chrome, which will send it to Google for auto-complete. Even the access log itself is going to contain compromising information in that case, since that is sent a part of the query string.

Re: StarDict sends X11 clipboard to remote servers

#6

Post by porridgeraisin »

The easiest solution seems to be to patch it to use offline dictionaries. merriamwebster.txt is 24MB, not a big deal.

stardict --install en_US hi_IN ta_IN

For a trilingual person, just 100MB of storage. Problem solved no?

Edit: it's a full dictionary with all sorts of information. Example entry:

ABANDONED A*ban"doned, a.

1. Forsaken, deserted. "Your abandoned streams." Thomson.

2. Self-abandoned, or given up to vice; extremely wicked, or sinning without restraint; irreclaimably wicked ; as, an abandoned villain.

Syn. -- Profligate; dissolute; corrupt; vicious; depraved; reprobate; wicked; unprincipled; graceless; vile. -- Abandoned, Profligate, Reprobate. These adjectives agree in expressing the idea of great personal depravity. Profligate has reference to open and shameless immoralities, either in private life or political conduct; as, a profligate court, a profligate ministry. Abandoned is stronger, and has reference to the searing of conscience and hardening of heart produced by a man's giving himself wholly up to iniquity; as, a man of abandoned character. Reprobate describes the condition of one who has become insensible to reproof, and who is morally abandoned and lost beyond hope of recovery. God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Rom. i. 28.

Re: StarDict sends X11 clipboard to remote servers

#7

Post by Elucalidavah »

Querying a local dictionary on each clipboard seems okay; having a feature to request remote dictionaries is okay; making it easy to combine both is dubious but understandable (would be better off as a special flag); but having them combined by default? That's pretty much malicious.
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