fix: harden avatar load against symlink TOCTOU (v0.6.19)

SEC-01 (security audit, LOW): the avatar load followed symlinks via
gio::File while the wallpaper load was already O_NOFOLLOW-hardened — the
project's lock-path hardening was applied inconsistently. Share one
read_file_nofollow loader for both file reads so they cannot diverge
again; a symlinked ~/.face now fails open with ELOOP and falls back to
the default avatar. Adds loader unit tests (regular file, symlink->ELOOP).

Bundles clippy cleanup: c"" literal in auth.rs, let-chains, drop
redundant gtk4_session_lock import, blur guard via .filter() (unifies
with moongreet/moonset).

Cargo.lock

@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "moonlock"
-version = "0.6.18"
+version = "0.6.19"
 dependencies = [
  "gdk-pixbuf",
  "gdk4",

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "moonlock"
-version = "0.6.18"
+version = "0.6.19"
 edition = "2024"
 description = "A secure Wayland lockscreen with GTK4, PAM and fingerprint support"
 license = "MIT"

DECISIONS.md

@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@
 
 Architectural and design decisions for Moonlock, in reverse chronological order.
 
+## 2026-06-17 – Harden avatar load against symlink TOCTOU via a shared O_NOFOLLOW loader (v0.6.19)
+
+- **Who**: ClaudeCode, Dom
+- **Why**: A security audit found SEC-01 (LOW): `set_avatar_from_file` (`lockscreen.rs`) opened `~/.face` / the AccountsService icon via `gio::File::for_path().read_future()`, which follows symlinks unconditionally, while the wallpaper load (`load_background_texture`) was already hardened with `O_NOFOLLOW` (2026-04-24). `users::get_avatar_path_with` rejects symlinks via `symlink_metadata()`, but a TOCTOU window remained between that stat and the GIO open. The root cause was not the avatar code per se but that the `O_NOFOLLOW` open idiom was inlined in one place and absent from the other — the project's own lock-path hardening contract was applied inconsistently. Impact is below the primary threat model (exploiting it needs write access to `~/.face`, i.e. an already-compromised session; the screen stays locked either way), hence LOW.
+- **Tradeoffs**: Extracted a shared `read_file_nofollow` rather than duplicating the open idiom, so the two file reads on the lock path cannot diverge again. The avatar read moved onto a blocking thread via `gio::spawn_blocking` (was a GIO async read) to keep the open off the GTK main loop, then decodes from an in-memory `MemoryInputStream`, preserving the scaled `AVATAR_SIZE` decode. No integration test for `set_avatar_from_file` itself — GTK + async, not unit-testable without a harness; the security primitive (`O_NOFOLLOW` → `ELOOP`) is covered by a unit test that goes red if the flag is removed (verified by temporarily dropping it). SEC-02 (fallback wallpaper `is_file()`) and SEC-03 (PAM `strdup` not zeroed) were reviewed and left as-is: the former is still protected by `O_NOFOLLOW` at open time and is a root-only system path, the latter is an inherent PAM-API limitation outside the lock threat model, already documented in `CLAUDE.md`.
+- **How**: (1) New `read_file_nofollow(&Path) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>>` in `lockscreen.rs`, used by both `load_background_texture` and `set_avatar_from_file`. (2) The avatar load reads via `gio::spawn_blocking(read_file_nofollow)` then decodes from a `MemoryInputStream`; a symlinked avatar now fails the open with `ELOOP`, logs a warning, and falls back to the default avatar. (3) Two unit tests for the loader (regular file → bytes; symlink → `ELOOP`). (4) Clippy cleanup bundled in: `c""` C-string literal in `auth.rs`, `let`-chains in `config.rs`/`users.rs`, removed redundant `use gtk4_session_lock;` in `main.rs`, blur guard collapsed to `blur_radius.filter(|s| *s > 0.0)` (unifies with moongreet/moonset, which already used that form). Verified: `cargo test` (48 passed), `cargo clippy --release` (0 warnings), `cargo build --release`.
+
 ## 2026-06-17 – Add cargo-audit CI gate, remove orphaned `-git` PKGBUILD
 
 - **Who**: ClaudeCode, Dom

src/auth.rs

@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ unsafe extern "C" fn pam_conv_callback(
                 }
                 PAM_PROMPT_ECHO_ON => {
                     // Visible prompt — provide empty string, never the password
-                    let empty = libc::strdup(b"\0".as_ptr() as *const libc::c_char);
+                    let empty = libc::strdup(c"".as_ptr());
                     if empty.is_null() {
                         for j in 0..i {
                             let prev = resp_array.offset(j);

src/config.rs

@@ -72,8 +72,11 @@ pub fn resolve_background_path(config: &Config) -> Option<PathBuf> {
 pub fn resolve_background_path_with(config: &Config, moonarch_wallpaper: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
     if let Some(ref bg) = config.background_path {
         let path = PathBuf::from(bg);
-        if let Ok(meta) = path.symlink_metadata() {
+        if let Ok(meta) = path.symlink_metadata()
-            if meta.is_file() && !meta.file_type().is_symlink() { return Some(path); }
+            && meta.is_file()
+            && !meta.file_type().is_symlink()
+        {
+            return Some(path);
         }
     }
     if moonarch_wallpaper.is_file() { return Some(moonarch_wallpaper.to_path_buf()); }

src/lockscreen.rs

@@ -442,6 +442,23 @@ pub fn start_fingerprint(
     });
 }
 
+/// Read a file with O_NOFOLLOW so a symlink swapped in after a prior
+/// stat-based check (TOCTOU) fails the open with ELOOP instead of being
+/// followed. Shared by the wallpaper and avatar loads — the two file reads
+/// on the lock path.
+fn read_file_nofollow(path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    use std::io::Read;
+    use std::os::unix::fs::OpenOptionsExt;
+
+    let mut file = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+        .read(true)
+        .custom_flags(libc::O_NOFOLLOW)
+        .open(path)?;
+    let mut bytes = Vec::new();
+    file.read_to_end(&mut bytes)?;
+    Ok(bytes)
+}
+
 /// Load the wallpaper as a texture once, for sharing across all windows.
 /// Returns None if no wallpaper path is provided or the file cannot be loaded.
 /// Blur is applied at render time via GPU (GskBlurNode), not here.
@@ -450,25 +467,13 @@ pub fn start_fingerprint(
 /// symlink check in `resolve_background_path_with` and this read. If the path
 /// was swapped for a symlink after the check, `open` fails with ELOOP.
 pub fn load_background_texture(bg_path: &Path) -> Option<gdk::Texture> {
-    use std::io::Read;
+    let bytes = match read_file_nofollow(bg_path) {
-    use std::os::unix::fs::OpenOptionsExt;
+        Ok(b) => b,
-
-    let mut file = match std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
-        .read(true)
-        .custom_flags(libc::O_NOFOLLOW)
-        .open(bg_path)
-    {
-        Ok(f) => f,
         Err(e) => {
-            log::warn!("Failed to open wallpaper {}: {e}", bg_path.display());
-            return None;
-        }
-    };
-    let mut bytes = Vec::new();
-    if let Err(e) = file.read_to_end(&mut bytes) {
             log::warn!("Failed to read wallpaper {}: {e}", bg_path.display());
             return None;
         }
+    };
     let glib_bytes = glib::Bytes::from_owned(bytes);
     match gdk::Texture::from_bytes(&glib_bytes) {
         Ok(texture) => Some(texture),
@@ -495,8 +500,7 @@ fn create_background_picture(
     background.set_hexpand(true);
     background.set_vexpand(true);
 
-    if let Some(sigma) = blur_radius {
+    if let Some(sigma) = blur_radius.filter(|s| *s > 0.0) {
-        if sigma > 0.0 {
         let texture = texture.clone();
         let cache = blur_cache.clone();
         background.connect_realize(move |picture| {
@@ -510,7 +514,6 @@ fn create_background_picture(
             }
         });
     }
-    }
 
     background
 }
@@ -585,18 +588,25 @@ fn set_avatar_from_file(
     image.set_icon_name(Some("avatar-default-symbolic"));
 
     let display_path = path.to_path_buf();
-    let file = gio::File::for_path(path);
+    let read_path = path.to_path_buf();
     let image_clone = image.clone();
     let cache_clone = cache.clone();
 
     glib::spawn_future_local(async move {
-        let stream = match file.read_future(glib::Priority::default()).await {
+        // Read with O_NOFOLLOW on a blocking thread to close the TOCTOU window
-            Ok(s) => s,
+        // between the symlink check in users::get_avatar_path_with and this open.
-            Err(e) => {
+        let bytes = match gio::spawn_blocking(move || read_file_nofollow(&read_path)).await {
+            Ok(Ok(b)) => b,
+            Ok(Err(e)) => {
                 log::warn!("Failed to open avatar {}: {e}", display_path.display());
                 return;
             }
+            Err(_) => {
+                log::warn!("Avatar read task failed for {}", display_path.display());
+                return;
+            }
         };
+        let stream = gio::MemoryInputStream::from_bytes(&glib::Bytes::from_owned(bytes));
         match Pixbuf::from_stream_at_scale_future(&stream, AVATAR_SIZE, AVATAR_SIZE, true).await {
             Ok(pixbuf) => {
                 let texture = gdk::Texture::for_pixbuf(&pixbuf);
@@ -831,4 +841,25 @@ mod tests {
     fn avatar_size_matches_css() {
         assert_eq!(AVATAR_SIZE, 128);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn read_file_nofollow_reads_regular_file() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let file = dir.path().join("avatar.png");
+        std::fs::write(&file, b"avatar-bytes").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(read_file_nofollow(&file).unwrap(), b"avatar-bytes");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn read_file_nofollow_rejects_symlink() {
+        use std::os::unix::fs::symlink;
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let target = dir.path().join("secret");
+        std::fs::write(&target, b"secret").unwrap();
+        let link = dir.path().join("avatar.png");
+        symlink(&target, &link).unwrap();
+        // O_NOFOLLOW makes the open fail with ELOOP instead of following the link.
+        let err = read_file_nofollow(&link).unwrap_err();
+        assert_eq!(err.raw_os_error(), Some(libc::ELOOP));
+    }
 }

src/main.rs

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ mod users;
 use gdk4 as gdk;
 use gtk4::prelude::*;
 use gtk4::{self as gtk, gio};
-use gtk4_session_lock;
 use std::cell::{Cell, RefCell};
 use std::rc::Rc;
 

src/users.rs

@@ -38,14 +38,20 @@ pub fn get_avatar_path(home: &Path, username: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
 pub fn get_avatar_path_with(home: &Path, username: &str, accountsservice_dir: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
     // ~/.face takes priority — single stat via symlink_metadata to avoid TOCTOU
     let face = home.join(".face");
-    if let Ok(meta) = face.symlink_metadata() {
+    if let Ok(meta) = face.symlink_metadata()
-        if meta.is_file() && !meta.file_type().is_symlink() { return Some(face); }
+        && meta.is_file()
+        && !meta.file_type().is_symlink()
+    {
+        return Some(face);
     }
     // AccountsService icon
     if accountsservice_dir.exists() {
         let icon = accountsservice_dir.join(username);
-        if let Ok(meta) = icon.symlink_metadata() {
+        if let Ok(meta) = icon.symlink_metadata()
-            if meta.is_file() && !meta.file_type().is_symlink() { return Some(icon); }
+            && meta.is_file()
+            && !meta.file_type().is_symlink()
+        {
+            return Some(icon);
         }
     }
     None