tests/test_rm.py::test_secure_delete_capability on Focal

[kushaldas]

Description

The test_rm.py is failing.

Steps to Reproduce

• BASE_OS=focal securedrop/bin/dev-shell bin/run-test -s -v tests/test_rm.py

Expected Behavior

All tests should pass.

Actual Behavior

===Flaky Test Report===                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
test_secure_delete_capability failed (2 runs remaining out of 3).
        <class 'AssertionError'>
        assert True is False
 +  where True = <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0>()
 +    where <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0> = rm.check_secure_delete_capability                                                                                                        
        [<TracebackEntry /root/code/securedrop/securedrop/tests/test_rm.py:17>]
test_secure_delete_capability failed (1 runs remaining out of 3).
        <class 'AssertionError'>
        assert True is False
 +  where True = <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0>()
 +    where <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0> = rm.check_secure_delete_capability                                                                                                        
        [<TracebackEntry /root/code/securedrop/securedrop/tests/test_rm.py:17>]
test_secure_delete_capability failed; it passed 0 out of the required 1 times.
        <class 'AssertionError'>
        assert True is False
 +  where True = <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0>()
 +    where <function check_secure_delete_capability at 0x7fa81888bee0> = rm.check_secure_delete_capability                                                                                                        
        [<TracebackEntry /root/code/securedrop/securedrop/tests/test_rm.py:17>]

[kushaldas]

If I add a print call and one after the subprocess call in the code, I can see all of them executing properly. Wondering how the test is actually failing.

tests/test_rm.py::test_secure_delete_capability main: /tmp/pytest-of-www-data/pytest-0/test_secure_delete_capability0/data/db.sqlite
before call                                                                                                                                                                                                         
after call                                                                               
before call                                                                                                                                                                                                         
after call                                                                                            
main: /tmp/pytest-of-www-data/pytest-0/test_secure_delete_capability1/data/db.sqlite
before call                                                                    
after call                                                                                                                                                                                                          
before call                                                                                                                                                                                                        
after call                                                                                                                                                                                                          
main: /tmp/pytest-of-www-data/pytest-0/test_secure_delete_capability2/data/db.sqlite                   
before call                                                                                 
after call                                                                                      
before call
after call
FAILED

diff --git a/securedrop/rm.py b/securedrop/rm.py
index d9e083d19..baf1a8c94 100644
--- a/securedrop/rm.py
+++ b/securedrop/rm.py
@@ -93,7 +93,9 @@ def check_secure_delete_capability() -> bool:
         bool: True if the program is available, otherwise False.
     """
     try:
+        print("before call")
         subprocess.check_output(["shred", "--help"])
+        print("after call")
         return True
     except EnvironmentError as e:
         if e.errno != errno.ENOENT:
@@ -101,4 +103,6 @@ def check_secure_delete_capability() -> bool:
         logging.error("The shred utility is missing.")
     except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
         logging.error("The shred utility is broken: %s %s", e, e.output)
+    except:
+        logging.error("The shred utility is crying: %s %s", e, e.output)
     return False

[kushaldas]

Now I realized, this code will keep doing the right thing, as in Focal the /bin/shred just works.