Received-SPF: pass (google.com: best guess record for domain of linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org designates 209.132.180.67 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.132.180.67;
Date:   Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:06:54 +0100 (CET)
From:   Jiri Kosina <jikos@kernel.org>
To:     Borislav Petkov <bp@alien8.de>
cc:     David Woodhouse <dwmw@amazon.co.uk>,
        Andi Kleen <ak@linux.intel.com>, Paul Turner <pjt@google.com>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linux-foundation.org>,
        Tim Chen <tim.c.chen@linux.intel.com>,
        Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@intel.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>,
        Kees Cook <keescook@google.com>,
        Rik van Riel <riel@redhat.com>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>,
        Andy Lutomirski <luto@amacapital.net>,
        gnomes@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk, x86@kernel.org,
        thomas.lendacky@amd.com, Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@redhat.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v8 04/12] x86/spectre: Add boot time option to select
 Spectre v2 mitigation
In-Reply-To: <nycvar.YFH.7.76.1801232348060.11852@cbobk.fhfr.pm>
Message-ID: <nycvar.YFH.7.76.1801240003260.11852@cbobk.fhfr.pm>
References: <1515707194-20531-1-git-send-email-dwmw@amazon.co.uk> <1515707194-20531-5-git-send-email-dwmw@amazon.co.uk> <20180123224014.dsbzps4hydt6h7ed@pd.tnic> <nycvar.YFH.7.76.1801232348060.11852@cbobk.fhfr.pm>
User-Agent: Alpine 2.21 (LSU 202 2017-01-01)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org
Precedence: bulk

On Tue, 23 Jan 2018, Jiri Kosina wrote:

> So that vermagic patch doesn't really help anything in real world (FWIW 
> I've just dropped it from SLE kernel). "Potentially insecure" doesn't mean 
> it shouldn't be loaded if the user wishes so. Only "functionally 
> incorrect" (which is the kernel ABI compatibility check) should be the 
> show stopper.

... one of the supporting arguments here obviously is: those external 
modules are quite often opening so many *other* holes into the system, 
that refusing to load it *just* because of kernel being retpolined while 
the module is not sounds more like not lettting a drunk and armed 
terrorist drive a plane, with the justification being the lack of a proper 
stamped license.

-- 
Jiri Kosina
SUSE Labs