Re: quotactl hook

From: Stephen Smalley (sdsat_private)
Date: Wed Sep 05 2001 - 11:37:05 PDT

  • Next message: Casey Schaufler: "Re: quotactl hook"

    On Wed, 5 Sep 2001, richard offer wrote:
    
    > capable() is not a substitute for authoritative hooks, there is
    > insufficient information available inside the hook on which to make any
    > decision that is more complex than "is this process running with
    > privilege". Capable() was never intended to be used as a general purpose
    > access control vehicle.
    
    You misunderstand me.  As I've previously explained (both on the list and 
    at the BOF), you can use the capable hook to bypass the kernel DAC logic 
    and can then implement your desired functionality in the restrictive hook.
    If the capable hook returns 0 (success) for the various DAC-related 
    capabilities, then the restrictive hook is effectively authoritative. The
    only potential concern is whether the module must then recompute the
    original DAC decision in the restrictive hook.  Chris Wright has suggested
    that the module may be able to avoid such a recomputation by saving state
    when capable is called and subsequently using that state in the 
    restrictive hook, since capable is usually only called if the DAC logic
    failed.  Lachlan noted a case (some of the set*id calls) where capable is
    called prior to the evaluation of the DAC logic, but in that case, the
    restrictive hook is called prior to any of the kernel logic, so you can
    still achieve your objective.
    
    --
    Stephen D. Smalley, NAI Labs
    ssmalleyat_private
    
    
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