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Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2011 08:39:54 -0800
From: Kees Cook <kees@...ntu.com>
To: oss-security@...ts.openwall.com
Subject: Re: kernel: modules_disabled policy
On Sat, Mar 05, 2011 at 07:16:43PM +0300, Vasiliy Kulikov wrote:
> It is one way ticket, there is no defined interface to enable LKM
> loading after disabling it. The sticking point is that it gives an idea
> that using it prevents loading rootkits to the kernel:
>
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Security/Features#block-modules
>
> "This was another layer of protection to stop kernel rootkits from being
> installed."
>
> But does it really stop rootkits or is it gives a false sence of security?
It was never my intention to give a false sense of security with the
option, but I did want to try to continue to block common kernel-rootkit
vectors. Kernel rootkits are really just a specialized form of arbitrary
kernel memory writing, so that's what I'd like to see squashed.
I think a higher priority goal is protecting the kernel from non-root
users, but when there are obvious places where it is trivial to protect
the kernel from root, we should plug those holes.
> There are other ways to write to arbitrary kernel memory location being
> full root, e.g. via hibernation:
>
> http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/1108853
Right, this is a good fix, but as other people point out, perhaps the
naming of things needs to be changed.
> LKML folks responds that modules_disabled does nothing with protecting
> the kernel from root.
There are two schools of thought on security: perfect security and layered
security. The phrase "does nothing" implies someone is approaching the
issue from the "perfect security" line of reasoning. In reality, it does do
something, because certain methods of attack simply do not work any more.
Of course, the arms race continues, and the skilled attackers will move to
using /sys/kernel/debug/acpi/custom_method, or the hibernation image
attacks. Just like they moved away from /dev/mem after it was plugged. The
point is to try to keep closing dangerous interfaces and holes.
> So, I'd be happy to hear an answer to the question:
>
> Is it possible to implement strict do-not-touch-the-kernel policy for
> root via disabling LKM loading and _all_ other indirect places with write
> access that allows root to do something, but being too relaxed and
> allows to write to [almost] arbitrary kernel location? This would make
> root the Boss Of Userland, but as to the kernel it would be but just a
> privileged client. Or such policy would be incomplete and there is
> almost always a way to by-pass it due to the system design?
IMO, privileged client is preferred. Of course, if you're running on a
regular system, the kernel image on disk can be changed, or any of the
start-up settings, and root can just reboot the system. So, as I said, it's
not a high priority thing to fix, but when it's easy to do so, I think we
should try to plug the holes since having ways to modify the running kernel
(when the system owner doesn't want this to happen) allows for some rather
nasty and hard-to-discover attacks.
-Kees
--
Kees Cook
Ubuntu Security Team
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