Re: [Keyrings] Re: [PATCH 01/04] Add multi-precision-integer maths library

From: Adrian Bunk
Date: Fri Jan 27 2006 - 19:25:59 EST


On Fri, Jan 27, 2006 at 06:35:40PM -0500, Kyle Moffett wrote:
> On Jan 27, 2006, at 17:19, Trond Myklebust wrote:
> >On Fri, 2006-01-27 at 21:41 +0100, David Härdeman wrote:
> >
> >>For example, a backup daemon which wishes to store the backup on
> >>another host using ssh. Usually this is solved by storing an
> >>unencrypted key in the fs or by providing a connection to a ssh-
> >>agent which has been preloaded with the proper key(s). Both are
> >>quite inelegant solutions. With the in-kernel support, the daemon
> >>can request the key using the request_key call, and (provided
> >>proper scripts are written), the user who controls the relevant
> >>key can supply it. This in turn means that the backup daemon can
> >>sign using the key and read its public parts but not the private key.
> >
> >...but why would you want such a daemon to live in the kernel in
> >the first place? A backup application might perhaps need some
> >kernel support in order to ensure filesystem consistency, but that
> >does not mean that moving the entire daemon into the kernel is a
> >good idea.
>
> No, the point is not to put the backup daemon into the kernel, but to
> provide a way for the backup daemon and my user process to
> communicate DSA key details without completely giving the backup
> daemon my key. I may not entirely trust the backup daemon not to get
> compromised, but with support for the kernel keyring system,
> compromising the backup daemon would only compromise the backed up
> files, not the private keys and other secure data.

And why exactly is this not solvable through a userspace daemon?

> Cheers,
> Kyle Moffett

cu
Adrian

--

"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

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