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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0009777Kali LinuxKali Package Bugpublic2026-07-10 07:11
ReporterNovahunter06 Assigned To 
PrioritynormalSeverityminorReproducibilityhave not tried
Status newResolutionopen 
Summary0009777: Amass wrapper invokes sudo automatically when libpostal data is missing
Description

The /usr/bin/amass wrapper automatically executes sudo libpostal_data download all /var/lib/libpostal when the libpostal dataset is not present.

Steps to Reproduce
Install the amass package.
Ensure the libpostal dataset is not installed (for example, /usr/share/libpostal/transliteration does not exist).
Run:
amass
Current Behavior

The wrapper checks for the dataset:

if [ ! -e /usr/share/libpostal/transliteration ]; then
sudo libpostal_data download all /var/lib/libpostal
fi

This causes amass to invoke sudo automatically before executing the actual binary.

Expected Behavior

The wrapper should not invoke sudo automatically during normal execution.

Instead, it should either:

declare the required libpostal dataset as a package dependency,
install or configure the dataset during package installation,
or display a message instructing the user how to install the required data manually.
Why This Is Problematic

Automatically invoking sudo from a user-facing wrapper is unexpected behavior and mixes package setup with normal program execution.

This can:

produce unexpected privilege prompts,
interfere with automation or scripting,
create confusing behavior for users,
make package behavior dependent on local sudo configuration.

This appears to be a packaging/design issue rather than a security vulnerability.

Activities

There are no notes attached to this issue.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2026-07-10 07:11 Novahunter06 New Issue