But the modifications might not be valid in the real system. For example, imagine a script that adds a new user to the system: in the container, it picks a new user ID that is free. A diff of the filesystem will show a new line being added to /etc/passwd - seems OK, right? But the user ID picked might clash with one on the real system, causing everything to fail when you apply the change.
The sandbox would provide a copy-on-write view of the actual filesystem (hence the possibility of data being stolen), so that scenario would work fine. (Though race conditions may be a concern.)
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But the modifications might not be valid in the real system. For example, imagine a script that adds a new user to the system: in the container, it picks a new user ID that is free. A diff of the filesystem will show a new line being added to /etc/passwd - seems OK, right? But the user ID picked might clash with one on the real system, causing everything to fail when you apply the change.
The sandbox would provide a copy-on-write view of the actual filesystem (hence the possibility of data being stolen), so that scenario would work fine. (Though race conditions may be a concern.)