linux-kernel - Re: Should we automatically generate a module signing key at all?

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Message-ID: <CA+55aFxLRaZpBPUwPabmNoYGwTraM0aLv06rNPhstyT3k+hBig@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Thu, 21 May 2015 17:03:04 -0700
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	George Spelvin <linux@...izon.com>
Cc:	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	LSM List <linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org>,
	petkan@...-labs.com, "Theodore Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>,
	Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Subject: Re: Should we automatically generate a module signing key at all?

On Thu, May 21, 2015 at 4:54 PM, George Spelvin <linux@...izon.com> wrote:
>
> The annoying thing is that it's a two-pass process: the kernel has to
> have the hashes of ALL of the modules to generate the sibling hashes
> for ANY of them.

It's also very annoying because the whole build gets much nastier,
particularly if you want to have modules in external trees.

In short, I don't see any actual *advantages* over just using signed
modules. Signing is much more flexible, and thanks to that extra
indirection (the signing key), there are no ordering constraints on
generating modules vs the kernel.

I realize that people have political objections to signing, but it's
the better technology, for chissake!

                 Linus
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