diff --git a/docs/releases/1.6.txt b/docs/releases/1.6.txt index 3903aa403f1..f5a2595efac 100644 --- a/docs/releases/1.6.txt +++ b/docs/releases/1.6.txt @@ -745,7 +745,8 @@ Default session serialization switched to JSON Historically, :mod:`django.contrib.sessions` used :mod:`pickle` to serialize session data before storing it in the backend. If you're using the :ref:`signed cookie session backend` and :setting:`SECRET_KEY` is -known by an attacker, the attacker could insert a string into his session +known by an attacker (there isn't an inherent vulnerability in Django that +would cause it to leak), the attacker could insert a string into his session which, when unpickled, executes arbitrary code on the server. The technique for doing so is simple and easily available on the internet. Although the cookie session storage signs the cookie-stored data to prevent tampering, a @@ -759,7 +760,9 @@ For backwards compatibility, this setting defaulted to using :mod:`pickle` in Django 1.5.3, but we've changed the default to JSON in 1.6. If you upgrade and switch from pickle to JSON, sessions created before the upgrade will be lost. While JSON serialization does not support all Python objects like -:mod:`pickle` does, we highly recommend using JSON-serialized sessions. See the +:mod:`pickle` does, we highly recommend using JSON-serialized sessions. Also, +as JSON requires string keys, you will likely run into problems if you are +using non-string keys in ``request.session``. See the :ref:`session_serialization` documentation for more details. Miscellaneous diff --git a/docs/topics/http/sessions.txt b/docs/topics/http/sessions.txt index 1dd8c2ae3d7..091848105f4 100644 --- a/docs/topics/http/sessions.txt +++ b/docs/topics/http/sessions.txt @@ -325,7 +325,8 @@ Session serialization Before version 1.6, Django defaulted to using :mod:`pickle` to serialize session data before storing it in the backend. If you're using the :ref:`signed cookie session backend` and :setting:`SECRET_KEY` is -known by an attacker, the attacker could insert a string into his session +known by an attacker (there isn't an inherent vulnerability in Django that +would cause it to leak), the attacker could insert a string into his session which, when unpickled, executes arbitrary code on the server. The technique for doing so is simple and easily available on the internet. Although the cookie session storage signs the cookie-stored data to prevent tampering, a @@ -349,8 +350,21 @@ Bundled Serializers .. class:: serializers.JSONSerializer A wrapper around the JSON serializer from :mod:`django.core.signing`. Can - only serialize basic data types. See the :ref:`custom-serializers` section - for more details. + only serialize basic data types. + + In addition, as JSON supports only string keys, note that using non-string + keys in ``request.session`` won't work as expected:: + + >>> # initial assignment + >>> request.session[0] = 'bar' + >>> # subsequent requests following serialization & deserialization + >>> # of session data + >>> request.session[0] # KeyError + >>> request.session['0'] + 'bar' + + See the :ref:`custom-serializers` section for more details on limitations + of JSON serialization. .. class:: serializers.PickleSerializer