linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] mm: Add kvfree_sensitive() for freeing sensitive data objects

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Message-ID: <adc76d7c441e8f10697b61ceaff66207fb219886.camel@perches.com>
Date:   Mon, 06 Apr 2020 09:42:52 -0700
From:   Joe Perches <joe@...ches.com>
To:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:     David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
        Waiman Long <longman@...hat.com>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Jarkko Sakkinen <jarkko.sakkinen@...ux.intel.com>,
        James Morris <jmorris@...ei.org>,
        "Serge E. Hallyn" <serge@...lyn.com>,
        Linux-MM <linux-mm@...ck.org>, keyrings@...r.kernel.org,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] mm: Add kvfree_sensitive() for freeing sensitive data
 objects

On Mon, 2020-04-06 at 09:41 -0700, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 6, 2020 at 9:12 AM Joe Perches <joe@...ches.com> wrote:
> > While I agree with Linus about the __ prefix,
> > the z is pretty common and symmetric to all
> > the <foo>zalloc uses.
> 
> Yes, we have a pattern of 'z' for zero.
> 
> But the _operation_ isn't symmetric.
> 
> "kzalloc()" has absolutely _nothing_ to do with "kzfree()". They are
> not some kind of "opposite symmetric operation".  They are totally
> different. They have absolutely nothing in common.

Dubious assertion.  Both end up with zeroed memory.