Re: [RFC PATCH 0/2] ima: uncompressed module appraisal support

From: Eric Snowberg
Date: Tue Feb 11 2020 - 12:33:57 EST



> On Feb 10, 2020, at 1:33 PM, Mimi Zohar <zohar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 2020-02-10 at 12:24 -0700, Eric Snowberg wrote:
>>> On Feb 10, 2020, at 10:09 AM, Mimi Zohar <zohar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>>>
>>>> Ok, understood, âmodsigâ refers to strictly kernel module appended signatures
>>>> without regard to the keyring that verifies it. Since there are inconsistencies
>>>> here, would you consider something like my first patch? It will verify an
>>>> uncompressed kernel module containing an appended signature when the public key
>>>> is contained within the kernel keyring instead of the ima keyring. Why force a
>>>> person to add the same keys into the ima keyring for validation? Especially when
>>>> the kernel keyring is now used to verify appended signatures in the compressed
>>>> modules.
>>>
>>> Different use case scenarios have different requirements. Suppose for
>>> example that the group creating the kernel image is not the same as
>>> using it. The group using the kernel image could sign all files,
>>> including kernel modules (imasig), with their own private key. Only
>>> files that they signed would be permitted. Your proposal would break
>>> the current expectations, allowing kernel modules signed by someone
>>> else to be loaded.
>>>
>>
>> All the end user needs to do is compress any module created by the group that built
>> the original kernel image to work around the scenario above. Then the appended
>> signature in the compressed module will be verified by the kernel keyring. Does
>> this mean there is a security problem that should be fixed, if this is a concern?
>
> Again, the issue isn't compressed/uncompressed kernel modules, but the
> syscall used to load the kernel module. IMA can prevent using the the
> init_module syscall. Refer to the ima_load_data() LOADING_MODULE
> case.

Within the ima_load_data() LOADING_MODULE case, to prevent IMA from using
the init_module syscall, is_module_sig_enforced() must return false. Currently
when is_module_sig_enforced() returns true, the kernel keyring is always used
for verification.

What if I change this part of my patch from

+ if (rc && func == MODULE_CHECK)

to

+ sig_enforce = is_module_sig_enforced();
+ if (sig_enforce && rc && func == MODULE_CHECK)

Now when the init_module syscall is available, finit_module syscall will use
both the ima keyring and kernel keyring for verification. When the
init_module syscall is blocked from use, the finit_module syscall will only use
the ima keyring for validation. I believe this would satisfy both your use
case and mine.