linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] Smack: Simplified Mandatory Access Control Kernel

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:	Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:45:18 +1000
From:	Keith Owens <kaos@....com.au>
To:	casey@...aufler-ca.com
cc:	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, akpm@...l.org, torvalds@...l.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Smack: Simplified Mandatory Access Control Kernel 

Casey Schaufler (on Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:57:31 -0700) wrote:
>Smack is the Simplified Mandatory Access Control Kernel.
>
> [snip]
>
>Smack defines and uses these labels:
>
>    "*" - pronounced "star"
>    "_" - pronounced "floor"
>    "^" - pronounced "hat"
>    "?" - pronounced "huh"
>
>The access rules enforced by Smack are, in order:
>
>1. Any access requested by a task labeled "*" is denied.
>2. A read or execute access requested by a task labeled "^"
>   is permitted.
>3. A read or execute access requested on an object labeled "_"
>   is permitted.
>4. Any access requested on an object labeled "*" is permitted.
>5. Any access requested by a task on an object with the same
>   label is permitted.
>6. Any access requested that is explicitly defined in the loaded
>   rule set is permitted.
>7. Any other access is denied.

Some security systems that have the concept of "no default access"
(task labeled "*") also allow access by those tasks but only if there
is an explicit rule giving access to the task.  IOW, rule 6 is applied
before rule 1.  In my experience this simplifies special cases where a
task should only have access to a very small set of resources.  I'm
curious why smack goes the other way?

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/