linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v8 04/12] x86/spectre: Add boot time option to select Spectre v2 mitigation

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Date:   Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:06:54 +0100 (CET)
From:   Jiri Kosina <jikos@...nel.org>
To:     Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
cc:     David Woodhouse <dwmw@...zon.co.uk>,
        Andi Kleen <ak@...ux.intel.com>, Paul Turner <pjt@...gle.com>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Tim Chen <tim.c.chen@...ux.intel.com>,
        Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...el.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Kees Cook <keescook@...gle.com>,
        Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
        gnomes@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk, x86@...nel.org,
        thomas.lendacky@....com, Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v8 04/12] x86/spectre: Add boot time option to select
 Spectre v2 mitigation

On Tue, 23 Jan 2018, Jiri Kosina wrote:

> So that vermagic patch doesn't really help anything in real world (FWIW 
> I've just dropped it from SLE kernel). "Potentially insecure" doesn't mean 
> it shouldn't be loaded if the user wishes so. Only "functionally 
> incorrect" (which is the kernel ABI compatibility check) should be the 
> show stopper.

... one of the supporting arguments here obviously is: those external 
modules are quite often opening so many *other* holes into the system, 
that refusing to load it *just* because of kernel being retpolined while 
the module is not sounds more like not lettting a drunk and armed 
terrorist drive a plane, with the justification being the lack of a proper 
stamped license.

-- 
Jiri Kosina
SUSE Labs