linux-kernel - Re: [dm-devel] [RFC PATCH v5 00/11] Integrity Policy Enforcement LSM (IPE)

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Message-Id: <49A45475-20D8-456E-92AD-F63DBC71F900@gmail.com>
Date:   Thu, 13 Aug 2020 10:56:17 -0400
From:   Chuck Lever <chucklever@...il.com>
To:     James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...senPartnership.com>
Cc:     Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.ibm.com>, James Morris <jmorris@...ei.org>,
        Deven Bowers <deven.desai@...ux.microsoft.com>,
        Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>, Sasha Levin <sashal@...nel.org>,
        snitzer@...hat.com, dm-devel@...hat.com,
        tyhicks@...ux.microsoft.com, agk@...hat.com,
        Paul Moore <paul@...l-moore.com>,
        Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>, nramas@...ux.microsoft.com,
        serge@...lyn.com, pasha.tatashin@...een.com,
        Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>, linux-block@...r.kernel.org,
        Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        Jens Axboe <axboe@...nel.dk>, mdsakib@...rosoft.com,
        open list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, eparis@...hat.com,
        linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org, linux-audit@...hat.com,
        linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-integrity@...r.kernel.org,
        jaskarankhurana@...ux.microsoft.com
Subject: Re: [dm-devel] [RFC PATCH v5 00/11] Integrity Policy Enforcement LSM
 (IPE)



> On Aug 13, 2020, at 10:42 AM, James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...senPartnership.com> wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 2020-08-13 at 10:21 -0400, Chuck Lever wrote:
>>> On Aug 12, 2020, at 11:42 AM, James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...s
>>> enPartnership.com> wrote:
> [...]
>>> For most people the security mechanism of local xattrs is
>>> sufficient.  If you're paranoid, you don't believe it is and you
>>> use EVM.
>> 
>> When IMA metadata happens to be stored in local filesystems in
>> a trusted xattr, it's going to enjoy the protection you describe
>> without needing the addition of a cryptographic signature.
>> 
>> However, that metadata doesn't live its whole life there. It
>> can reside in a tar file, it can cross a network, it can live
>> on a back-up tape. I think we agree that any time that metadata
>> is in transit or at rest outside of a Linux local filesystem, it
>> is exposed.
>> 
>> Thus I'm interested in a metadata protection mechanism that does
>> not rely on the security characteristics of a particular storage
>> container. For me, a cryptographic signature fits that bill
>> nicely.
> 
> Sure, but one of the points about IMA is a separation of mechanism from
> policy.  Signed hashes (called appraisal in IMA terms) is just one
> policy you can decide to require or not or even make it conditional on
> other things.

AFAICT, the current EVM_IMA_DIGSIG and EVM_PORTABLE_DIGSIG formats are
always signed. The policy choice is whether or not to verify the
signature, not whether or not the metadata format is signed.


--
Chuck Lever
chucklever@...il.com