linux-hardening - Re: [PATCH 00/82] overflow: Refactor open-coded arithmetic wrap-around

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Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:51:29 -0800
From: Kees Cook <kees@...nel.org>
To: Kent Overstreet <kent.overstreet@...ux.dev>,
 Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
CC: linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org,
 "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@...nel.org>,
 Bill Wendling <morbo@...gle.com>, Justin Stitt <justinstitt@...gle.com>,
 linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 00/82] overflow: Refactor open-coded arithmetic wrap-around

On January 22, 2024 6:22:13 PM PST, Kent Overstreet <kent.overstreet@...ux.dev> wrote:
>On Mon, Jan 22, 2024 at 04:26:35PM -0800, Kees Cook wrote:
>> In our continuing effort to eliminate root causes of flaws in the kernel,
>> this series is the start to providing a way to have sensible coverage
>> for catching unexpected arithmetic wrap-around.
>> 
>This all seems fine, but... Rust already has this at the type system
>level....
>
>I know you're not one of the people bringing bickering into the Rust
>threads, so I'm wondering if perhaps your secret plan is to annoy the
>die hard "I want everything to be fast with razor blades everywhere" C
>programmers enough to finally get onboard the "let's just switch to a
>language with less razor wire" train.

I don't want to annoy anyone, but yeah, in the process of getting rid of dangerous stuff we do end up asking people to make changes they're not used to. I hope to make it as easy as possible, though.

I'm a big fan of Rust, but I know it's not going to happen over night; there is a LOT of C code in Linux. :) I look at making the kernel safer by removing as many C foot-guns as possible. As we remove the ambiguities in C that lead to vulnerabilities, we'll eventually meet halfway with the new Rust code.

-Kees

-- 
Kees Cook