Load installed module packages via entry points (#883)

* Load installed module packages via entry points

Python packages can already register custom CLI commands which load
automatically, but custom modules still require --load-module or the
MVT_CUSTOM_MODULES environment variable on every invocation.

Add an mvt.modules entry-point group so installed packages can register
forensic modules which load automatically into every module-running
check-* command. An entry point resolves to an iterable of MVTModule
subclasses, or a callable returning one. Broken entry points are
skipped with a warning so a faulty package cannot break MVT.

* Record the source of loaded modules for auditability

Now that installed module packages load automatically, record where every
module came from:

- --list-modules groups the available modules by source, one line per
  source with the modules comma-separated: MVT itself with its version,
  each installed package with its version and VCS commit when recorded
  (PEP 610 direct_url.json), and each --load-module/MVT_CUSTOM_MODULES
  file with its SHA-256 hash.
- Commands log one line per module source with its version or hash and
  the modules loaded from it, so command.log records exactly which
  modules ran and where they came from.
- Make init_logging() idempotent: a loaded module package importing an
  MVT CLI module would previously add a second console handler and
  duplicate every console log line.

* Route loaded module logging under the mvt.ext namespace

Modules loaded from installed packages or file paths live outside the
mvt logger hierarchy, so their log records never reach MVT's console
and file handlers and instead fall through to logging.lastResort:
alerts print as bare unformatted lines and INFO messages are dropped
entirely.

Add get_module_logger() and use it everywhere module loggers are
created. Built-in mvt.* modules keep their existing logger names, and
everything external is parented under a dedicated mvt.ext namespace so
records reach the handlers and external names can never collide with
MVT's internal logger tree. File-path modules are named after their
file (mvt.ext.<stem>) instead of the mangled internal import name.

Document a naming convention for community module packages:
distribute as mvt-plugin-<name> with import package mvt_plugin_<name>,
including the publishing organization in the name. The prefix is
advisory (loading is by entry point, and it is no mark of
authenticity), but conforming packages get a cleaner logger namespace:
the mvt_plugin_ prefix is stripped, so mvt_plugin_amnesty_custom logs
as mvt.ext.amnesty_custom.
This commit is contained in:
Donncha Ó Cearbhaill
2026-08-19 23:15:48 +02:00
committed by GitHub
parent dd8bd2cb01
commit dac4acb180
9 changed files with 566 additions and 11 deletions
+87
View File
@@ -117,6 +117,93 @@ class DependentCustomModule(MVTModule):
self.results = [{"manifest_entries": len(manifest_results)}]
```
## Installed module packages
Python packages can register modules so they load automatically in every
module-running `check-*` command, without `--load-module` or
`MVT_CUSTOM_MODULES`. Register an entry point in the `mvt.modules` group in
the package's `pyproject.toml`:
```toml
[project.entry-points."mvt.modules"]
mvt-plugin-amnesty-custom = "mvt_plugin_amnesty_custom:get_modules"
```
The entry point must resolve to an iterable of `MVTModule` subclasses, or to
a callable returning one:
```python
from mvt.common.module import MVTModule
class PackagedModule(MVTModule):
supported_commands = (("ios", "check-backup"),)
def run(self):
self.results = [{"message": "packaged module ran"}]
def get_modules() -> list[type[MVTModule]]:
return [PackagedModule]
```
Installed modules follow the same rules as other custom modules: each module
must declare `supported_commands`, and dependencies are resolved with the
standard ordering logic. A broken entry point is skipped with a warning and
does not prevent MVT from running. As with custom commands, installed module
packages run as trusted code inside the MVT process, so install only packages
from sources you trust.
For a `pipx` installation of MVT, inject the package into MVT's environment:
```bash
pipx inject mvt mvt-plugin-amnesty-custom
```
### Naming module packages
Name module packages `mvt-plugin-<name>` (import package `mvt_plugin_<name>`),
and include the name of the publishing organization or author so packages from
different groups do not collide: for example, Amnesty International's custom
modules would be distributed as `mvt-plugin-amnesty-custom` with the import
package `mvt_plugin_amnesty_custom`.
The prefix makes module packages easy to find on PyPI and keeps their import
names from clashing with unrelated Python packages. It is a convention, not a
technical requirement: modules load through the `mvt.modules` entry point
regardless of what the package is called, and existing packages with other
names keep working. Note that the prefix is also not a mark of authenticity —
anyone can publish a package with any available name, so vet a module package
and its publisher before installing it, whatever it is called.
### Module logging
Modules log through `self.log`, and MVT names the logger for where the module
came from. MVT's own modules log under their dotted path (for example
`mvt.ios.modules.mixed.whatsapp`). Everything external is namespaced under
`mvt.ext` to keep it visually distinct from built-in modules and isolated from
MVT's internal logger tree:
- Installed packages log under `mvt.ext.<package>`, with the `mvt_plugin_`
prefix stripped: modules in `mvt_plugin_amnesty_custom` log as
`mvt.ext.amnesty_custom.*`.
- Files loaded with `--load-module` or `MVT_CUSTOM_MODULES` log as
`mvt.ext.<file name>`.
## Auditing loaded modules
Because installed module packages load automatically, MVT records where every
module came from:
- `--list-modules` groups the available modules by source: MVT itself
(with its version), each installed package (with its version and, when
installed directly from a repository, the commit), and each file loaded
with `--load-module` or `MVT_CUSTOM_MODULES` (with the SHA-256 hash of the
file).
- When a command runs with an `--output` folder, the `command.log` file
records one line per module source with the source's version or hash and
the list of modules loaded from it.
## Profiling
Some MVT modules extract and process significant amounts of data during the analysis process or while checking results against known indicators. Care must be