linux-kernel - Re: [RFD] linux-firmware key arrangement for firmware signing

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Date:	Thu, 21 May 2015 12:59:25 -0400
From:	Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
To:	Petko Manolov <petkan@...-labs.com>
Cc:	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	"Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...e.com>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org, james.l.morris@...cle.com,
	serge@...lyn.com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org, Kyle McMartin <kyle@...nel.org>,
	David Woodhouse <david.woodhouse@...el.com>,
	Seth Forshee <seth.forshee@...onical.com>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Joey Lee <jlee@...e.de>, Rusty Russell <rusty@...tcorp.com.au>,
	mricon@...nel.org, Michal Marek <mmarek@...e.cz>,
	Abelardo Ricart III <aricart@...nix.com>,
	Sedat Dilek <sedat.dilek@...il.com>, keyrings@...ux-nfs.org,
	Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>, Jiri Kosina <jkosina@...e.cz>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Subject: Re: [RFD] linux-firmware key arrangement for firmware signing

On Thu, 2015-05-21 at 19:43 +0300, Petko Manolov wrote:
> On 15-05-21 16:51:49, David Howells wrote:
> > 
> > I do have patches to parse PGP key data and add the public keys found therein
> > onto the kernel keyring, but that would mean adding an extra key data parser.
> 
> PGP is widely used so i would gladly have one more parser in the kernel.
> 
> > You could probably do this with the integrity functions - but turning them on 
> > has a performance cost and you have to load things in the right order as I 
> > understand it.
> 
> The performance hit is negligible, especially on modern hardware.  The problem 
> is that Joe user must wrap his head around IMA as a concept and go through the 
> pains of doing everything right.  Failing to do so will result in a lot of 
> frustration, and i speak from experience.
> 
> Once you make it run properly it mostly stays out of your way.  To put it 
> another way: IMA is not for sissies... :)

The main problem today is that software doesn't come and isn't installed
with file signatures.   Once file signatures are installed with the
files,  then it is just a matter of the machine owner signing the
software's public keys.   Dracut (or equivalent) would load the signed
keys onto the trusted IMA keyring.

Mimi

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