SafeHandle.DangerousGetHandle Method
Definition
Important
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Returns the value of the handle field.
public:
IntPtr DangerousGetHandle();public IntPtr DangerousGetHandle ();member this.DangerousGetHandle : unit -> nativeintPublic Function DangerousGetHandle () As IntPtrReturns
nativeint
An IntPtr representing the value of the handle field. If the handle has been marked invalid with SetHandleAsInvalid(), this method still returns the original handle value, which can be a stale value.
Remarks
You can use this method to retrieve the actual handle value from an instance of the SafeHandle derived class. This method is needed for backwards compatibility because many properties in the .NET Framework return IntPtr handle types. IntPtr handle types are platform-specific types used to represent a pointer or a handle.
Caution
Using the DangerousGetHandle method can pose security risks because, if the handle has been marked as invalid with SetHandleAsInvalid, DangerousGetHandle still returns the original, potentially stale handle value. The returned handle can also be recycled at any point. At best, this means the handle might suddenly stop working. At worst, if the handle or the resource that the handle represents is exposed to untrusted code, this can lead to a recycling security attack on the reused or returned handle. For example, an untrusted caller can query data on the handle just returned and receive information for an entirely unrelated resource. See the DangerousAddRef and the DangerousRelease methods for more information about using the DangerousGetHandle method safely.
