Dev1 Galaxy Forum / Stardict - possibly problematic application?

Re: Stardict - possibly problematic application?

dummy@example.com (Devarch) — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 23:27:35 +0000

may be just try goldendict-ng (next generation)

Re: Stardict - possibly problematic application?

dummy@example.com (Matlib) — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:45:12 +0000

Looks like it's not the first time this has been reported.

2009: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=534731
2015: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=806960

Translated sentence is send even if local dictionary of local central European language is used and even if "Enable Network dictionaries" in setting is disabled.

Re: Stardict - possibly problematic application?

dummy@example.com (steve_v) — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 06:34:52 +0000

Yeah, this is pretty much expected behaviour given the purpose of that plugin. Auto-translating the X11 primary selection is a little unusual, but understandable if the intent is to provide live translation in a tooltip.
The only real problem I see here is that this behaviour doesn't appear to be mentioned in the project documentation... But then the website is a mess and I only read English, so it's entirely possible I just missed it.

In any case, this is a clipboard-monitoring online auto-translation tool sending clipboard content to a translation service. So what? How else would it work, magic?
If anyone is actually concerned, consider this a wakeup to exercise some garden-variety due-diligence with the software you run. The source code is right there in plain sight.

All the noise here is really because it's using the "insecure" X clipboard functionality (which must be demonised wherever possible), and the servers in question are in China (which is the current political boogeyman). Boring, predictable, yawn, etc.

Re: Stardict - possibly problematic application?

dummy@example.com (RedGreen925) — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 01:27:01 +0000

With some plugins, StarDict sends the user's X11 selection from other applications to some servers: dict.youdao.com and dict.cn

Yes if you enable english to chinese translation which not a lot of people are going to do. Even if they have it installed which checking here I do not. These click-bait fud spreaders are out in full force on this one, I have seen this posted everywhere by them. With the same zero useful information presented as is typical of those postings, as in this posting as well...

Stardict - possibly problematic application?

dummy@example.com (Altoid) — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 21:24:32 +0000

Hello:

From today's edition of The Register:
------------------------------------------------
Star leaky app of the week: StarDict
Fun feature found in Debian 13: send your selected text to China – in plaintext
by Liam Proven - Fri 8 Aug 2025 // 15:29 UTC
------------------------------------------------

Liam Proven @The register wrote:

A discussion on the oss-security mailing list on OpenWall highlights an interesting feature of an apparently innocuous dictionary app that's included in Debian: StarDict, a Gtk app that looks up text and displays the definition in a tooltip. The alarm was raised by Vincent Lefèvre from INRIA in an email titled StarDict sends the user's X11 selection to the network:
With some plugins, StarDict sends the user's X11 selection from other applications to some servers: dict.youdao.com and dict.cn (both Chinese servers).

https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/08/ … p_of_week/

Best,