On Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 4:45 PM Schaufler, Casey <casey.schauf...@intel.com> wrote: > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Jann Horn [mailto:ja...@google.com] > > Sent: Friday, August 17, 2018 4:55 PM > > To: Schaufler, Casey <casey.schauf...@intel.com> > > Cc: Kernel Hardening <kernel-harden...@lists.openwall.com>; kernel list > > <linux-ker...@vger.kernel.org>; linux-security-module <linux-security- > > mod...@vger.kernel.org>; selinux@tycho.nsa.gov; Hansen, Dave > > <dave.han...@intel.com>; Dock, Deneen T <deneen.t.d...@intel.com>; > > kris...@linux.intel.com; Arjan van de Ven <ar...@linux.intel.com> > > Subject: Re: [PATCH RFC v2 2/5] X86: Support LSM determination of side- > > channel vulnerability > > > > On Sat, Aug 18, 2018 at 12:17 AM Casey Schaufler > > <casey.schauf...@intel.com> wrote: > > > > > > From: Casey Schaufler <cschaufler@localhost.localdomain> > > > > > > When switching between tasks it may be necessary > > > to set an indirect branch prediction barrier if the > > > tasks are potentially vulnerable to side-channel > > > attacks. This adds a call to security_task_safe_sidechannel > > > so that security modules can weigh in on the decision. > > > > > > Signed-off-by: Casey Schaufler <casey.schauf...@intel.com> > > > --- > > > arch/x86/mm/tlb.c | 12 ++++++++---- > > > 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) > > > > > > diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c > > > index 6eb1f34c3c85..8714d4af06aa 100644 > > > --- a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c > > > +++ b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c > > > @@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ > > > #include <linux/export.h> > > > #include <linux/cpu.h> > > > #include <linux/debugfs.h> > > > +#include <linux/security.h> > > > > > > #include <asm/tlbflush.h> > > > #include <asm/mmu_context.h> > > > @@ -270,11 +271,14 @@ void switch_mm_irqs_off(struct mm_struct *prev, > > struct mm_struct *next, > > > * threads. It will also not flush if we switch to idle > > > * thread and back to the same process. It will flush if > > > we > > > * switch to a different non-dumpable process. > > > + * If a security module thinks that the transition > > > + * is unsafe do the flush. > > > */ > > > - if (tsk && tsk->mm && > > > - tsk->mm->context.ctx_id != last_ctx_id && > > > - get_dumpable(tsk->mm) != SUID_DUMP_USER) > > > - indirect_branch_prediction_barrier(); > > > + if (tsk && tsk->mm && tsk->mm->context.ctx_id != > > > last_ctx_id) { > > > + if (get_dumpable(tsk->mm) != SUID_DUMP_USER || > > > + security_task_safe_sidechannel(tsk) != 0) > > > + indirect_branch_prediction_barrier(); > > > + } > > > > When you posted v1 of this series, I asked: > > > > | Does this enforce transitivity? What happens if we first switch from > > | an attacker task to a task without ->mm, and immediately afterwards > > | from the task without ->mm to a victim task? In that case, whether a > > | flush happens between the attacker task and the victim task depends on > > | whether the LSM thinks that the mm-less task should have access to the > > | victim task, right? > > > > Have you addressed that? I don't see it... > > Nope. That's going to require maintaining state about all the > tasks in the chain that might still have cache involvement. > > A -> B -> C -> D
Really? >From what I can tell, it'd be enough to: - ensure that the LSM-based access checks behave approximately transitively (which I think they already do, mostly) - keep a copy of the metadata of the last non-kernel task on the CPU > If B and C don't do anything cacheworthy D could conceivably attack A. > The amount of state required to detect this case would be prohibitive. > I think that if you're sufficiently concerned about this case you should just > go ahead and set the barrier. I'm willing to learn something that says I'm > wrong. That means that an attacker who can e.g. get a CPU to first switch from an attacker task to a softirqd (e.g. for network packet processing or whatever), then switch from the softirqd to a root-owned victim task would be able to bypass the check, right? That doesn't sound like a very complicated attack... I very much dislike the idea of adding a mitigation with a known bypass technique to the kernel. _______________________________________________ Selinux mailing list Selinux@tycho.nsa.gov To unsubscribe, send email to selinux-le...@tycho.nsa.gov. To get help, send an email containing "help" to selinux-requ...@tycho.nsa.gov.