linux-kernel - Re: [malware-list] [RFC 0/5] [TALPA] Intro to a linuxinterfaceforon access scanning

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Message-ID: <20080807092800.GA22222@atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz>
Date:	Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:28:00 +0200
From:	Pavel Machek <pavel@...e.cz>
To:	tvrtko.ursulin@...hos.com
Cc:	Arjan van de Ven <arjan@...radead.org>,
	"Press, Jonathan" <Jonathan.Press@...com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org,
	malware-list@...ts.printk.net, Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [malware-list] [RFC 0/5] [TALPA] Intro to a linuxinterfaceforon access scanning

Hi!

> Problems with inotify as far as I know:
> 
> You can't do something like inotify("/") (made up API) but you have to set 
> up a watch for every directory you wan't to watch. That seems like a waste 
> of resources.
> 
> Then you get back a file name, if you wan't to report it or attempt* to 
> scan it you have to build a pathname yourself, which means you have to 
> maintain the whole tree of names in memory. Even bigger waste.
> 
> When I say attempt to scan it above I mean that we are back into the 
> pathanme teritorry. It is not guaranteed we will be able to open and scan 
> using that pathname. I don't know what inotify reports with chroots and 
> private namespaces, but it can certainly fail with NFS and root_squash. So 
> it is less effective as well as being resource intensive.
> 
> I think this is a good amount of flaws which shows inotify isn't really 
> ideal.

Not ideal, but looks like good enough, and could certainly be
improved. If it is secure-enough for you (I think it is), that looks
like a way to go.

(Plus, such improvements would actually be very welcome).
									Pavel

-- 
(english) http://www.livejournal.com/~pavelmachek
(cesky, pictures) http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel/picture/horses/blog.html
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