linux-hardening - Re: [PATCH v8 2/4] mseal: add mseal syscall

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Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2024 20:03:45 -0800
From: Jeff Xu <jeffxu@...omium.org>
To: Theo de Raadt <deraadt@...nbsd.org>
Cc: Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org>, akpm@...ux-foundation.org, keescook@...omium.org, 
	jannh@...gle.com, sroettger@...gle.com, willy@...radead.org, 
	gregkh@...uxfoundation.org, torvalds@...ux-foundation.org, 
	usama.anjum@...labora.com, rdunlap@...radead.org, jeffxu@...gle.com, 
	jorgelo@...omium.org, groeck@...omium.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, 
	linux-kselftest@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org, pedro.falcato@...il.com, 
	dave.hansen@...el.com, linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v8 2/4] mseal: add mseal syscall

On Thu, Feb 1, 2024 at 7:54 PM Theo de Raadt <deraadt@...nbsd.org> wrote:
>
> Jeff Xu <jeffxu@...omium.org> wrote:
>
> > On Thu, Feb 1, 2024 at 3:11 PM Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 05:50:24PM +0000, jeffxu@...omium.org wrote:
> > > > [PATCH v8 2/4] mseal: add mseal syscall
> > > [...]
> > > > +/*
> > > > + * The PROT_SEAL defines memory sealing in the prot argument of mmap().
> > > > + */
> > > > +#define PROT_SEAL    0x04000000      /* _BITUL(26) */
> > > > +
> > > >  /* 0x01 - 0x03 are defined in linux/mman.h */
> > > >  #define MAP_TYPE     0x0f            /* Mask for type of mapping */
> > > >  #define MAP_FIXED    0x10            /* Interpret addr exactly */
> > > > @@ -33,6 +38,9 @@
> > > >  #define MAP_UNINITIALIZED 0x4000000  /* For anonymous mmap, memory could be
> > > >                                        * uninitialized */
> > > >
> > > > +/* map is sealable */
> > > > +#define MAP_SEALABLE 0x8000000       /* _BITUL(27) */
> > >
> > > IMO this patch is misleading, as it claims to just be adding a new syscall, but
> > > it actually adds three new UAPIs, only one of which is the new syscall.  The
> > > other two new UAPIs are new flags to the mmap syscall.
> > >
> > The description does include all three. I could update the patch title.
> >
> > > Based on recent discussions, it seems the usefulness of the new mmap flags has
> > > not yet been established.  Note also that there are only a limited number of
> > > mmap flags remaining, so we should be careful about allocating them.
> > >
> > > Therefore, why not start by just adding the mseal syscall, without the new mmap
> > > flags alongside it?
> > >
> > > I'll also note that the existing PROT_* flags seem to be conventionally used for
> > > the CPU page protections, as opposed to kernel-specific properties of the VMA
> > > object.  As such, PROT_SEAL feels a bit out of place anyway.  If it's added at
> > > all it perhaps should be a MAP_* flag, not PROT_*.  I'm not sure this aspect has
> > > been properly discussed yet, seeing as the patchset is presented as just adding
> > > sys_mseal().  Some reviewers may not have noticed or considered the new flags.
> > >
> > MAP_ flags is more used for type of mapping, such as MAP_FIXED_NOREPLACE.
> >
> > The PROT_SEAL might make more sense because sealing the protection bit
> > is the main functionality of the sealing at this moment.
>
> Jeff, please show a piece of software that needs to do PROT_SEAL as
> mprotect() or mmap() argument.
>
I didn't propose mprotect().

for mmap() here is a potential use case:

fs/binfmt_elf.c
if (current->personality & MMAP_PAGE_ZERO) {
                /* Why this, you ask???  Well SVr4 maps page 0 as read-only,
                   and some applications "depend" upon this behavior.
                   Since we do not have the power to recompile these, we
                   emulate the SVr4 behavior. Sigh. */

                error = vm_mmap(NULL, 0, PAGE_SIZE,
                                PROT_READ | PROT_EXEC,   <-- add PROT_SEAL
                                MAP_FIXED | MAP_PRIVATE, 0);
        }

I don't see the benefit of RWX page 0, which might make a null
pointers error to become executable for some code.


> Please don't write it as a vague essay.
>
> Instead, take a piece of existing code, write a diff, and show your work.
>
> Then explain that diff, justify why doing the PROT_SEAL as an argument
> of mprotect() or mmap() is a required improvement, and show your Linux
> developer peers that you can do computer science.
>
> I did the same work in OpenBSD, at least 25% time over 2 years, and I
> had to prove my work inside my development community.  I had to prove
> that it worked system wide, not in 1 program, with hand-waving for the
> rest.  If I had said "Looks, it works in ssh, trust me it works in other
> programs", it would not have gone further.
>
> glibc is the best example to demonstrate, but smaller examples might
> convince.