Re: [PATCH 5/5] LSM: Define workqueue for measuring security module state

From: Stephen Smalley
Date: Mon Jun 15 2020 - 11:47:52 EST


On Mon, Jun 15, 2020 at 10:59 AM Mimi Zohar <zohar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 2020-06-15 at 09:33 -0400, Stephen Smalley wrote:
> > On Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 10:42 PM Lakshmi Ramasubramanian
> > <nramas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >
> > > The data maintained by the security modules could be tampered with by
> > > malware. The LSM needs to periodically query the state of
> > > the security modules and measure the data when the state is changed.
> > >
> > > Define a workqueue for handling this periodic query and measurement.
> >
> > Won't this make it difficult/impossible to predict the IMA PCR value?
> > Unless I missed it, you are going to end up measuring every N minutes
> > even if there was no change and therefore constantly be extending the
> > PCR. That will break attestation or sealing against the IMA PCR.
>
> Even if it attempts to add the same measurement to the list multiple
> times, unless something changed, there should only be one measurement
> in the list.

Is the PCR only extended once?