Re: [Keyrings] [PATCH] Keys: Add LSM hooks for key management

[David Howells]

James Morris <jmorris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> > What case causes context != current?
> 
> Indeed, this is critical: we always need to know which task initiated the 
> current action.  If it's not current, then we need the calling task struct 
> passed into the security hook.

Surely you know the calling task struct: it's current, but I can pass it in
anyway if you wish.

As I outlined in a previous email, this has to do with the way request_key()
works, and the need for the process actually instantiating the key to gain
access to the keyrings, ownership, group membership, etc. of the process that
created the key.

> > > +	/* do a final security check before publishing the key */
> > > +	ret = security_key_alloc(key);
> > 
> > This may simply be allocating space for the label (and possibly labelling)
> > not necessarily a security check.
> 
> Agree, in fact, I think we should always aim to keep housekeeping hooks 
> separate from access control hooks.

What do you mean by separate? And this provides a chance for the LSM to deny
the creation of a key before it's published.

> Access checks seem to be usually done before this point via 
> lookup_user_key(), which is ideal.

Eh? lookup_user_key()? That's not necessarily called before, not if you're
creating a key.

> > This is odd, esp since nothing could have failed between alloc and
> > publish.  Only state change is serial number.  Would you expect the
> > security module to update a label based on serial number?
> 
> I don't think SELinux would care about this yet.  If so, the hook can be 
> added later.

Auditing?

> > Are you sure this is right?  Normally I'd expect users can _not_ set the
> > security labels of their own keys.  But perhaps I've missed the point
> > of this one, could you give a use case?
> 
> I think this is like xattrs on files, where the user can set and view 
> security attributes.

That's what I was thinking of.

> David, admit it, this key stuff is all really a filesystem :-)

Grrrr. Next time I see you I might have to toss you in the nearest river:-)

No, it isn't, except in that all filesystems are databases anyway, and the VFS
should be ripped out and replaced with Reiser4.

David
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