netdev - Re: [PATCH v2] kptr_restrict for hiding kernel pointers from unprivileged users

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20101211001151.GS4464@outflux.net>
Date:	Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:11:51 -0800
From:	Kees Cook <kees.cook@...onical.com>
To:	Dan Rosenberg <drosenberg@...curity.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org, netdev@...r.kernel.org,
	jmorris@...ei.org, eugeneteo@...nel.org, mingo@...e.hu,
	davem@...emloft.net
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] kptr_restrict for hiding kernel pointers from
 unprivileged users

On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 07:05:24PM -0500, Dan Rosenberg wrote:
> The below patch adds the %pK format specifier, the
> CONFIG_SECURITY_KPTR_RESTRICT configuration option, and the
> kptr_restrict sysctl.
> 
> The %pK format specifier is designed to hide exposed kernel pointers
> from unprivileged users, specifically via /proc interfaces.  Its
> behavior depends on the kptr_restrict sysctl, whose default value
> depends on CONFIG_SECURITY_KPTR_RESTRICT.  If kptr_restrict is set to 0,
> no deviation from the standard %p behavior occurs.  If kptr_restrict is
> set to 1, if the current user (intended to be a reader via seq_printf(),
> etc.) does not have CAP_SYSLOG (which is currently in the LSM tree),
> kernel pointers using %pK are printed as 0's.  This was chosen over the
> default "(null)", which cannot be parsed by userland %p, which expects
> "(nil)".
> 
> v2 improves checking for inappropriate context, on suggestion by Peter
> Zijlstra.  Thanks to Thomas Graf for suggesting use of a centralized
> format specifier.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Dan Rosenberg <drosenberg@...curity.com>

This will come in very handy! Thanks for working on this approach. :)

Acked-by: Kees Cook <kees.cook@...onical.com>

-Kees

-- 
Kees Cook
Ubuntu Security Team
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe netdev" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html