linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 2/3] security: add symbol namespace for reading file data

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Message-ID: <20200513160936.GC1362525@kroah.com>
Date:   Wed, 13 May 2020 18:09:36 +0200
From:   Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
To:     "Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>
Cc:     Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof@...nel.org>, viro@...iv.linux.org.uk,
        rafael@...nel.org, jeyu@...nel.org, jmorris@...ei.org,
        keescook@...omium.org, paul@...l-moore.com,
        stephen.smalley.work@...il.com, eparis@...isplace.org,
        nayna@...ux.ibm.com, zohar@...ux.ibm.com,
        scott.branden@...adcom.com, dan.carpenter@...cle.com,
        skhan@...uxfoundation.org, geert@...ux-m68k.org,
        tglx@...utronix.de, bauerman@...ux.ibm.com, dhowells@...hat.com,
        linux-integrity@...r.kernel.org, linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org,
        kexec@...ts.infradead.org, linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org,
        selinux@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/3] security: add symbol namespace for reading file data

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 10:40:31AM -0500, Eric W. Biederman wrote:
> Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof@...nel.org> writes:
> 
> > Certain symbols are not meant to be used by everybody, the security
> > helpers for reading files directly is one such case. Use a symbol
> > namespace for them.
> >
> > This will prevent abuse of use of these symbols in places they were
> > not inteded to be used, and provides an easy way to audit where these
> > types of operations happen as a whole.
> 
> Why not just remove the ability for the firmware loader to be a module?

I agree, it's been a mess of build options to try to keep alive over
time.

> Is there some important use case that requires the firmware loader
> to be a module?

I don't think so anymore.

> We already compile the code in by default.  So it is probably just
> easier to remove the modular support all together.  Which would allow
> the export of the security hooks to be removed as well.

Agreed.

thanks,

greg k-h