https://github.com/reinderien/mimic

[ab]using Unicode to create tragedy
https://github.com/reinderien/mimic

Last synced: about 2 months ago
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[ab]using Unicode to create tragedy

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/reinderien/mimic
• Owner: reinderien
• License: mit
• Created: 2015-10-17T04:53:17.000Z (almost 9 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2023-09-17T00:45:12.000Z (about 1 year ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-05-06T14:35:35.810Z (5 months ago)
• Language: Python
• Homepage:
• Size: 50.8 KB
• Stars: 3,745
• Watchers: 77
• Forks: 102
• Open Issues: 11
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE.md

Awesome Lists containing this project

• my-awesome-github-stars - reinderien/mimic - [ab]using Unicode to create tragedy (Python)
• Awesome-Unicode - mimic - [ab]using Unicode to create tragedy (:collision: Lowercase Transformation Collisions / One-To-Many Case Mappings)

README

        
# mimic

*[ab]using Unicode to create tragedy*

### Introduction



mimic provokes:

- fun

- frustration

- curiosity

- murderous rage

It's inspired by this terrible idea floating around:



MT: Replace a semicolon (;) with a greek question mark (;) in your friend's C# code and watch them pull their hair out over the syntax error
— Peter Ritchie (@peterritchie) November 16, 2014



There are many more characters in the Unicode character set that look, to some extent or another, like others – homoglyphs. Mimic substitutes common ASCII characters for obscure homoglyphs.

Fun games to play with mimic:

- Pipe some source code through and see if you can find all of the problems

- Pipe someone else's source code through without telling them

- Be fired, and then killed

### Results

Observe the mayhem:



*"BUT WHY?"*

Or, if you've been mimicked a little harder,



### Discussion

People have noticed how terrible this is.

[SlashDot](http://developers.slashdot.org/story/15/10/24/1759201/mimic-the-evil-script-that-will-drive-programmers-to-insanity)

[Reddit](https://reddit.com/r/programming/3pcs0c)

[ycombinator](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10437619)

[BoingBoing](http://boingboing.net/2015/10/23/evil-script-replaces-punctuati.html)

[The Register](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/25/ruin_your_codevelopers_life_with_mimic_the_unicode_substitution_tool/)

### Further Reading

[mimic wiki](https://github.com/reinderien/mimic/wiki)