linux-ext4 - Re: [PATCH 1/1] x86: fix text

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:12:33 -0400
From:	fche@...hat.com (Frank Ch. Eigler)
To:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...ymtl.ca>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>, Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>, Jiri Slaby <jirislaby@...il.com>,
	David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>, zdenek.kabelac@...il.com,
	rjw@...k.pl, paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com, akpm@...ux-foundation.org,
	linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org, herbert@...dor.apana.org.au,
	penberg@...helsinki.fi, clameter@....com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, pageexec@...email.hu,
	Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/1] x86: fix text_poke

Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org> writes:

> [...]
>> The point is to provide a way to dynamically enable code at runtime
>> without noticeable performance impact on the system.
>
> Quite frankly, maybe I'm a bit dense, but why don't you just recompile the 
> whole original function (at run-time), load that new version of a function 
> as a mini-module, and then insert a marker at the top of the old function 
> that just does a "jmp replacementfunction". [...]

You mentioned possible solutions to some of the problems this
ambitious an approach would cause.  Here are a few more complications:

- instrumenting inlined functions

- proper sharing of static function data amongst multiple live
  copies of same function

- unknown implications of violating long-standing assumptions about
  functions not changing addresses

- interaction with other code modification machinery (kprobes, ...)

- necessity to carry kernel sources & compilers on machines; slow
  marker activation


- FChE
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-ext4" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html