Re: [PATCH 1/2] security: Change name of CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA

From: Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>
To: Laura Abbott <labbott@redhat.com>
Cc: Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org>,
	Jason Wessel <jason.wessel@windriver.com>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>,
	Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>,
	Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@arm.com>,
	Will Deacon <will.deacon@arm.com>,
	"James E.J. Bottomley" <jejb@parisc-linux.org>,
	Helge Deller <deller@gmx.de>,
	Martin Schwidefsky <schwidefsky@de.ibm.com>,
	Heiko Carstens <heiko.carstens@de.ibm.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com>, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>,
	x86@kernel.org, Rob Herring <robh@kernel.org>,
	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@rjwysocki.net>,
	Len Brown <len.brown@intel.com>,
	Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>, Jessica Yu <jeyu@redhat.com>,
	linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-arm-kernel@lists.infradead.org,
	linux-parisc@vger.kernel.org, linux-s390@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-pm@vger.kernel.org, kernel-hardening@lists.openwall.com
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] security: Change name of CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:51:24 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20170125135124.GA20896@amd> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <fca01775-9640-8783-a657-a9e6cf0c3e0a@redhat.com>

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On Wed 2017-01-25 12:21:05, Laura Abbott wrote:
> On 01/19/2017 08:53 AM, Pavel Machek wrote:
> >On Wed 2017-01-18 17:29:05, Laura Abbott wrote:
> >>
> >>Despite the word 'debug' in CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA, this kernel option
> >>provides key security features that are to be expected on a modern
> >>system. Change the name to CONFIG_HARDENED_PAGE_MAPPINGS which more
> >>accurately describes what this option is intended to do.
> >
> >I think this is bad change. CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA is describing what it
> >does, CONFIG_HARDENED_PAGE_MAPPINGS is advertising.
> >
> >We don't do advertising, and we don't force people to re-answer the
> >config questions without good reason.
> >
> >CONFIG_HARDENED_RODATA might fix the first problem, but not the second
> >one.
> >
> >								Pavel
> >								
> 
> (Apologies, my SMTP was set up incorrectly so my response didn't
> actually get sent out)
> 
> CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA isn't describing what it does though. It misses
> that this config may handle much more than just rodata. I think
> Mark Rutland's suggestion of STRICT_KERNEL_RWX might be more
> descriptive.

CONFIG_BUG=y
CONFIG_LBDAF=y
CONFIG_PM_OPP=y

..it is config option. It is not description of the feature. People
are living with that config option for a while. I'd keep it.

Maybe you can go from CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA to CONFIG_RODATA... (but
you'll still have people re-answer config option.)

								Pavel
-- 
(english) http://www.livejournal.com/~pavelmachek
(cesky, pictures) http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel/picture/horses/blog.html

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