First eval is a dangerous function to be using as a modification of one of the evaled expressions could be ahmm...interesting. Instead why not have all your rules ( regex pattern or not) wrapped in accessor methods in a file called say rules.pl:

package Rules;

sub rule1 {
    shift =~ m/some_pattern/;
}
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This will return true or false depending on whether the passed argument matches /some_pattern/. You use it like this:

require rules.pl

&do_something() if Rule::rule1($match_this_data);
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Then set it up so that your script is part of a unique group called say 'foo' Your rules file can then be made readable only by this group and no one else, hence the only access is via the script and no one except root, the owner(you) and the script can read it.

cheers

tachyon

s&&rsenoyhcatreve&&&s&n.+t&"$'$`$\"$\&"&ee&&y&srve&&d&&print