How does taint mode (-T) affect performance or memory usage?

Taint mode in Perl is a security feature that helps prevent the execution of potentially harmful code. When enabled, Perl tracks the flow of data through your program, marking external input as "tainted." This requires explicit validation before using any tainted data, which may impact performance and memory usage.

In general, running a Perl script in taint mode may lead to a slight performance decrease due to the additional checks that are performed on data. Moreover, memory usage may be affected as Perl manages multiple copies of data for security checks. However, the exact impact on performance or memory can vary based on the complexity of the script and frequency of data validation checks.

By adopting taint mode, you trade off some performance and memory efficiency for increased security, which is an essential consideration for scripts that process user input or rely on untrusted data sources.