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Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:08:03 -0400
From: Eamon Walsh <ewalsh@tycho.nsa.gov>
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To: KaiGai Kohei <kaigai@ak.jp.nec.com>
CC: Joshua Brindle <method@manicmethod.com>, Andy Warner <warner@rubix.com>,
        selinux <selinux@tycho.nsa.gov>
Subject: Re: Some ideas in SE-PostgreSQL enhancement (Re: The status of SE-PostgreSQL)
References: <49C7667A.3020804@ak.jp.nec.com> <49C7A88E.4020408@rubix.com> <49C84200.9090107@ak.jp.nec.com> <49C9D524.9050208@ak.jp.nec.com> <49C9E101.1050400@rubix.com> <49CA6D24.3040007@manicmethod.com> <49CA8934.1040200@rubix.com> <49CCF41D.4090603@manicmethod.com> <49CCFDF6.9050603@rubix.com> <49CD0995.9050205@manicmethod.com> <49CD12CD.1000205@rubix.com> <49CD1710.6000108@manicmethod.com> <49CD1F74.9030906@rubix.com> <49CD2EB3.2000809@manicmethod.com> <49CD687C.9080401@kaigai.gr.jp> <49CDCF07.1020900@rubix.com> <49D018A3.2090304@ak.jp.nec.com> <49D08105.2090607@ak.jp.nec.com>
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KaiGai Kohei wrote:
> KaiGai Kohei wrote:
>   
>> My preference is the later one:
>>   TYPE_TRANSITION <subject context> <server context> : <class> <new context>;
>>
>> In addition, an idea of configuration file can be considerable to set up
>> the default context of database objects, though I considered it is not
>> necessary in the past discussion.
>> If a user want to work the database server process as an unconfined domain,
>> like a legacy "disable_xxxx_trans" boolean doing, the <server context> as
>> the target of TYPE_TRANSITION breaks all the correct labeling.
>>
>> If we have a /etc/selinux/$POLICYTYPE/contexts/db_{sepgsql|rubix}, as follows,
>> it can be used to specify the default context of special purpose database
>> object such as schemas to store temporary database objects, not only the
>> context of database as the root of type transition.
>> ------------
>> database    *             system_u:object_r:sepgsql_db_t:s0
>> schema      pg_temp_*     system_u:object_r:sepgsql_temp_schema_t:s0
>>   :             :            :
>> ------------
>>
>> The libselinux has selabel_lookup(3) interface to implement them
>> for various kind of objects.
>>     
>
> The attached patch is a proof of the concept.
> It adds the forth backend of selabel_lookup(3) interface.
>
> Under the enhancement, we should the following rules to determine what
> security context is assigned on the newly created database object.
>
> 1. An explicitly specified security context by users.
>    e.g)  CREATE TABLE t (a int, b text)
>              SECURITY_LABEL = 'system_u:object_r:sepgsql_table_t:SystemHigh';
>
> 2. A matched entry in the configuration file which can be lookup up
>    by selabel_lookup(3).
>    e.g)  schema  pg_temp_*  system_u:object_r:sepgsql_temp_schema_t:s0
>                  ^^^^^^^^^ --> if the new object name and type are matched.
>
> 3. The result of security_compute_av() or avc_compute_create() which can
>    return the result of TYPE_TRANSITION rules.
>
> The second step is newly suggested in this patch.
> Needless to say, the determinded security context has to be checked
> by the security policy.
>
>   
>> One concern is performance hit. If we need to open/lookup/close the file
>> for each INSERT statement, its pain will be unacceptable.
>>     
>
> This patch does not support db_tuple class, because of headach in performance
> and its characteristic that database tuples have no name to identify itself.
>
> Thanks,
>   


First, regarding the problem of labeling the top-level (root) database
object, why can't you specify this through a command line argument (to
"createdb") or extra argument to CREATE DATABASE? I see above that a
"SECURITY_LABEL" arg is supported for CREATE TABLE. Just use something
similar for CREATE DATABASE and default to the <subject> <subject> type
transition if none is specified.


But let's step back and take a look at how the file system uses file
contexts. Files are labeled in three ways:

1. The normal, preferred way, through a type transition on a subject
(domain) and target (parent directory). The database analog to this:
through a type transition on a subject (domain) and target (parent
table, schema, or other object).

2. For files that are NOT persistent, such as /proc and /sys, by
genfscon rules, which are basically the same as file_contexts. So if
there are non-persistent database objects (such as the pg_temp
mentioned) and there really is no parent object to label from in a type
transition, using selabel lookups could make sense.

3. By a trusted relabeler, such as fixfiles. Here again the proposal may
be useful, if you wanted to keep a default set of labels and have some
offline relabeler program that would go through the whole database and
fix up the labels. This program would be some trusted client that
changes all the labels.


So other than a single case, which is non-persistent database objects,
selabel lookups should not be required. By analogy, the filesystem does
not consult the file_contexts file every time a new file is created. In
your priority list defined above, step 2 (selabel) should be after step
3 (type transition) and should be qualified with "only when type
transition is not possible because object is non-persistent."

Does this make sense or am I missing something fundamental about the
database environment?



-- 
Eamon Walsh <ewalsh@tycho.nsa.gov>
National Security Agency


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