Re: Binary only module overview

From: Chris Wright (chrisat_private)
Date: Mon Sep 24 2001 - 16:23:06 PDT

  • Next message: Alan Cox: "Re: Binary only module overview"

    * Crispin Cowan (crispinat_private) wrote:
    > 
    > The debate thread 
    > http://mail.wirex.com/pipermail/linux-security-module/2001-September/002017.html 
    > that Greg KH referred to is about whether LSM (security) modules should 
    > ever be permitted to be proprietary. Some feel that all LSM modules 
    > should be OSD-compliant Open Source software, while others feel that LSM 
    > should continue the existing Linux module policy of permitting 
    > proprietary modules only if they do not require changes to the Linux 
    > kernel (which would make them a derived work of the kernel).
    
    OK, the above is exactly why i think kernel developers are concerned
    about the combination of LSM and proprietary binary only modules.
    LSM _does_ require significant change to the Linux kernel.  So now you
    have a module that is based on major change to kernel.  In addition these
    changes make it possible to easily fundamentally change the behavior of
    the linux kernel with a binary only proprietary module (this is precisely
    why there is no interface to change the syscall table).
    
    I, like David Wagner noted, would prefer to defer this to the stage
    where we propose lsm as a part of 2.5, but would not be surprised if
    this very issue is brought up.
    
    -chris
    
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