linux-kernel - Re: [PATCHv3 2/3] kernel: add support for live patching

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Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.11.1411241209050.6439@nanos>
Date:	Mon, 24 Nov 2014 12:13:20 +0100 (CET)
From:	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
To:	Seth Jennings <sjenning@...hat.com>
cc:	Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...hat.com>,
	Jiri Kosina <jkosina@...e.cz>,
	Vojtech Pavlik <vojtech@...e.cz>,
	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>,
	Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.cz>, Miroslav Benes <mbenes@...e.cz>,
	Christoph Hellwig <hch@...radead.org>,
	Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
	Masami Hiramatsu <masami.hiramatsu.pt@...achi.com>,
	live-patching@...r.kernel.org, x86@...nel.org, kpatch@...hat.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCHv3 2/3] kernel: add support for live patching

On Thu, 20 Nov 2014, Seth Jennings wrote:
> This commit introduces code for the live patching core.  It implements
> an ftrace-based mechanism and kernel interface for doing live patching
> of kernel and kernel module functions.
> 
> It represents the greatest common functionality set between kpatch and
> kgraft and can accept patches built using either method.
> 
> This first version does not implement any consistency mechanism that
> ensures that old and new code do not run together.  In practice, ~90% of
> CVEs are safe to apply in this way, since they simply add a conditional
> check.  However, any function change that can not execute safely with
> the old version of the function can _not_ be safely applied in this
> version.

To be honest this sounds frightening.

How is determined whether a change can be applied w/o a consistency
mechanism or not?

Thanks,

	tglx

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