This feature is used extensively in safety-critical testing procedures, for example. It is also used as a side channel for instrumenting long-running processes.
See also: debuggers and profilers, which simply wouldn't work without this capability.
I've also since learned that this feature is used in applications (e.g. Firefox) which sandbox their processes, as a means of crash-reporting when some process pisses in their sandbox, crashing ...
Sure, it 'seems' dangerous to have this capability - until you need to debug, profile, or instrument something ..
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What legitimate purpose does this feature serve? Why should a process be able to write into the virtual memory of another process?
Testing and instrumentation.
This feature is used extensively in safety-critical testing procedures, for example. It is also used as a side channel for instrumenting long-running processes.
See also: debuggers and profilers, which simply wouldn't work without this capability.
I've also since learned that this feature is used in applications (e.g. Firefox) which sandbox their processes, as a means of crash-reporting when some process pisses in their sandbox, crashing ...
Sure, it 'seems' dangerous to have this capability - until you need to debug, profile, or instrument something ..