linux-hardening - Re: [PATCH 07/32] mm: Bring back vmalloc

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Date:   Thu, 11 May 2023 15:28:40 -0700
From:   Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
To:     Johannes Thumshirn <Johannes.Thumshirn@....com>
Cc:     Kent Overstreet <kent.overstreet@...ux.dev>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-bcachefs@...r.kernel.org" <linux-bcachefs@...r.kernel.org>,
        Kent Overstreet <kent.overstreet@...il.com>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Uladzislau Rezki <urezki@...il.com>,
        "hch@...radead.org" <hch@...radead.org>,
        "linux-mm@...ck.org" <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
        "linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org" <linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 07/32] mm: Bring back vmalloc_exec

On Wed, May 10, 2023 at 03:05:48PM +0000, Johannes Thumshirn wrote:
> On 09.05.23 18:56, Kent Overstreet wrote:
> > +/**
> > + * vmalloc_exec - allocate virtually contiguous, executable memory
> > + * @size:	  allocation size
> > + *
> > + * Kernel-internal function to allocate enough pages to cover @size
> > + * the page level allocator and map them into contiguous and
> > + * executable kernel virtual space.
> > + *
> > + * For tight control over page level allocator and protection flags
> > + * use __vmalloc() instead.
> > + *
> > + * Return: pointer to the allocated memory or %NULL on error
> > + */
> > +void *vmalloc_exec(unsigned long size, gfp_t gfp_mask)
> > +{
> > +	return __vmalloc_node_range(size, 1, VMALLOC_START, VMALLOC_END,
> > +			gfp_mask, PAGE_KERNEL_EXEC, VM_FLUSH_RESET_PERMS,
> > +			NUMA_NO_NODE, __builtin_return_address(0));
> > +}
> > +EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vmalloc_exec);
> 
> Uh W+X memory reagions.
> The 90s called, they want their shellcode back.

Just to clarify: the kernel must never create W+X memory regions. So,
no, do not reintroduce vmalloc_exec().

Dynamic code areas need to be constructed in a non-executable memory,
then switched to read-only and verified to still be what was expected,
and only then made executable.

-- 
Kees Cook