Re: [PATCH] Extended Attributes for Security Modules against 2.5.68

From: Andreas Dilger (adilgerat_private)
Date: Thu Apr 24 2003 - 12:40:40 PDT

  • Next message: Chris Wright: "Re: [PATCH] Extended Attributes for Security Modules against 2.5.68"

    On Apr 24, 2003  15:02 -0400, Stephen Smalley wrote:
    > I don't think that would help.  As I mentioned during the earlier
    > discussion with Andreas, you want to be able to allow the security
    > module to call the inode getxattr and setxattr operations without
    > restriction for internal management of the security labels, while
    > applying access controls to user processes invoking the [gs]etxattr
    > system calls.  Hence, you don't want the permission check implemented in
    > the handler; it is better to handle the checking entirely via the LSM
    > hooks in the [gs]etxattr calls and allow unrestricted internal use of
    > the inode [gs]etxattr operations by the module.  Capability checks are
    > also too coarse-grained; you want to be able to perform a permission
    > check based on the process and the inode attributes, not just a
    > process-based check.
    > 
    > If the intent of the trusted namespace is for attributes that can be
    > managed by superuser processes (this is my impression), then I think it
    > would be better to create a separate namespace and handler for security
    > modules for clarity.  Or at least for MAC modules.
    
    Wasn't part of the LSM setup done in a way that there would be "default"
    handlers for the hooks for normal PID/capability checking in the absence
    of another LSM module?  I thought that was one of the reasons LSM hooks
    were accepted into the kernel, since this would allow even the default
    file/process permission checks to be compiled out for, say, embedded
    systems that only run as root anyways.
    
    Couldn't that be used to do the trusted-namespace- means-CAP_SYS_ADMIN
    checks, but it can be replaced by other LSM security modules if desired?
    
    Cheers, Andreas
    --
    Andreas Dilger
    http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2resize/
    http://www-mddsp.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/adilger/
    
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