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author | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2025-01-22 20:34:42 -0800 |
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committer | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2025-01-22 20:34:42 -0800 |
commit | 21266b8df5224c4f677acf9f353eecc9094731f0 (patch) | |
tree | 53bccb221736248181993c6c1c70819b9613f3d1 /Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst | |
parent | 5ab889facc6893e4a973d6ab5432550ef4f6ff09 (diff) | |
parent | 95b3cdafd7cb74414070893445a9b731793f7b55 (diff) | |
download | linux-21266b8df5224c4f677acf9f353eecc9094731f0.tar.gz linux-21266b8df5224c4f677acf9f353eecc9094731f0.tar.bz2 linux-21266b8df5224c4f677acf9f353eecc9094731f0.zip |
Merge tag 'AT_EXECVE_CHECK-v6.14-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/kees/linux
Pull AT_EXECVE_CHECK from Kees Cook:
- Implement AT_EXECVE_CHECK flag to execveat(2) (Mickaël Salaün)
- Implement EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE and EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE securebits
(Mickaël Salaün)
- Add selftests and samples for AT_EXECVE_CHECK (Mickaël Salaün)
* tag 'AT_EXECVE_CHECK-v6.14-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/kees/linux:
ima: instantiate the bprm_creds_for_exec() hook
samples/check-exec: Add an enlighten "inc" interpreter and 28 tests
selftests: ktap_helpers: Fix uninitialized variable
samples/check-exec: Add set-exec
selftests/landlock: Add tests for execveat + AT_EXECVE_CHECK
selftests/exec: Add 32 tests for AT_EXECVE_CHECK and exec securebits
security: Add EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE and EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE securebits
exec: Add a new AT_EXECVE_CHECK flag to execveat(2)
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst | 144 |
1 files changed, 144 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..05dfe3b56f71 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/check_exec.rst @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 +.. Copyright © 2024 Microsoft Corporation + +=================== +Executability check +=================== + +The ``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` :manpage:`execveat(2)` flag, and the +``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE`` and ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE`` securebits +are intended for script interpreters and dynamic linkers to enforce a +consistent execution security policy handled by the kernel. See the +`samples/check-exec/inc.c`_ example. + +Whether an interpreter should check these securebits or not depends on the +security risk of running malicious scripts with respect to the execution +environment, and whether the kernel can check if a script is trustworthy or +not. For instance, Python scripts running on a server can use arbitrary +syscalls and access arbitrary files. Such interpreters should then be +enlighten to use these securebits and let users define their security policy. +However, a JavaScript engine running in a web browser should already be +sandboxed and then should not be able to harm the user's environment. + +Script interpreters or dynamic linkers built for tailored execution environments +(e.g. hardened Linux distributions or hermetic container images) could use +``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` without checking the related securebits if backward +compatibility is handled by something else (e.g. atomic update ensuring that +all legitimate libraries are allowed to be executed). It is then recommended +for script interpreters and dynamic linkers to check the securebits at run time +by default, but also to provide the ability for custom builds to behave like if +``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE`` or ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE`` were always +set to 1 (i.e. always enforce restrictions). + +AT_EXECVE_CHECK +=============== + +Passing the ``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` flag to :manpage:`execveat(2)` only performs a +check on a regular file and returns 0 if execution of this file would be +allowed, ignoring the file format and then the related interpreter dependencies +(e.g. ELF libraries, script's shebang). + +Programs should always perform this check to apply kernel-level checks against +files that are not directly executed by the kernel but passed to a user space +interpreter instead. All files that contain executable code, from the point of +view of the interpreter, should be checked. However the result of this check +should only be enforced according to ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE`` or +``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE.``. + +The main purpose of this flag is to improve the security and consistency of an +execution environment to ensure that direct file execution (e.g. +``./script.sh``) and indirect file execution (e.g. ``sh script.sh``) lead to +the same result. For instance, this can be used to check if a file is +trustworthy according to the caller's environment. + +In a secure environment, libraries and any executable dependencies should also +be checked. For instance, dynamic linking should make sure that all libraries +are allowed for execution to avoid trivial bypass (e.g. using ``LD_PRELOAD``). +For such secure execution environment to make sense, only trusted code should +be executable, which also requires integrity guarantees. + +To avoid race conditions leading to time-of-check to time-of-use issues, +``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` should be used with ``AT_EMPTY_PATH`` to check against a +file descriptor instead of a path. + +SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE and SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE +========================================================== + +When ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE`` is set, a process should only interpret or +execute a file if a call to :manpage:`execveat(2)` with the related file +descriptor and the ``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` flag succeed. + +This secure bit may be set by user session managers, service managers, +container runtimes, sandboxer tools... Except for test environments, the +related ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE_LOCKED`` bit should also be set. + +Programs should only enforce consistent restrictions according to the +securebits but without relying on any other user-controlled configuration. +Indeed, the use case for these securebits is to only trust executable code +vetted by the system configuration (through the kernel), so we should be +careful to not let untrusted users control this configuration. + +However, script interpreters may still use user configuration such as +environment variables as long as it is not a way to disable the securebits +checks. For instance, the ``PATH`` and ``LD_PRELOAD`` variables can be set by +a script's caller. Changing these variables may lead to unintended code +executions, but only from vetted executable programs, which is OK. For this to +make sense, the system should provide a consistent security policy to avoid +arbitrary code execution e.g., by enforcing a write xor execute policy. + +When ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE`` is set, a process should never interpret +interactive user commands (e.g. scripts). However, if such commands are passed +through a file descriptor (e.g. stdin), its content should be interpreted if a +call to :manpage:`execveat(2)` with the related file descriptor and the +``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` flag succeed. + +For instance, script interpreters called with a script snippet as argument +should always deny such execution if ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE`` is set. + +This secure bit may be set by user session managers, service managers, +container runtimes, sandboxer tools... Except for test environments, the +related ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE_LOCKED`` bit should also be set. + +Here is the expected behavior for a script interpreter according to combination +of any exec securebits: + +1. ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE=0`` and ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE=0`` + + Always interpret scripts, and allow arbitrary user commands (default). + + No threat, everyone and everything is trusted, but we can get ahead of + potential issues thanks to the call to :manpage:`execveat(2)` with + ``AT_EXECVE_CHECK`` which should always be performed but ignored by the + script interpreter. Indeed, this check is still important to enable systems + administrators to verify requests (e.g. with audit) and prepare for + migration to a secure mode. + +2. ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE=1`` and ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE=0`` + + Deny script interpretation if they are not executable, but allow + arbitrary user commands. + + The threat is (potential) malicious scripts run by trusted (and not fooled) + users. That can protect against unintended script executions (e.g. ``sh + /tmp/*.sh``). This makes sense for (semi-restricted) user sessions. + +3. ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE=0`` and ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE=1`` + + Always interpret scripts, but deny arbitrary user commands. + + This use case may be useful for secure services (i.e. without interactive + user session) where scripts' integrity is verified (e.g. with IMA/EVM or + dm-verity/IPE) but where access rights might not be ready yet. Indeed, + arbitrary interactive commands would be much more difficult to check. + +4. ``SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE=1`` and ``SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE=1`` + + Deny script interpretation if they are not executable, and also deny + any arbitrary user commands. + + The threat is malicious scripts run by untrusted users (but trusted code). + This makes sense for system services that may only execute trusted scripts. + +.. Links +.. _samples/check-exec/inc.c: + https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/samples/check-exec/inc.c |