linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v1.2 0/5] IMA: making i_readcount a first class inode citizen (reposting)

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Message-ID: <AANLkTikjz3j4j-zLSzagF=wnVE1ROZBGsjtuhGEvB9=n@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:56:17 -0800
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc:	"J. Bruce Fields" <bfields@...ldses.org>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org, jmorris@...ei.org,
	akpm@...ux-foundation.org, eparis@...hat.com,
	viro@...iv.linux.org.uk, Dave Chinner <david@...morbit.com>,
	David Safford <safford@...son.ibm.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v1.2 0/5] IMA: making i_readcount a first class inode
 citizen (reposting)

On Sun, Nov 21, 2010 at 5:18 AM, Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com> wrote:
>
> IMA (and the proposed EVM/IMA-appraisal patches) detects file change
> based on i_version. When the file is closed, if the file has changed,
> IMA marks the file as needing to be re-measured. Of course this requires
> the filesystem to be mounted with iversion. Don't know if this helps.

If you only do this at close time, I see a _major_ security hole.

The attacker can just write to the file, and keep it open. Ta-daa,
everybody who reads it sees the new contents, but your IMA logic is
oblivious and thinks it doesn't need to be re-measured.

                            Linus
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