Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S266210AbTIKH1G (ORCPT ); Thu, 11 Sep 2003 03:27:06 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S266211AbTIKH1G (ORCPT ); Thu, 11 Sep 2003 03:27:06 -0400 Received: from mtvcafw.SGI.COM ([192.48.171.6]:6017 "EHLO rj.sgi.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S266210AbTIKH1E (ORCPT ); Thu, 11 Sep 2003 03:27:04 -0400 X-Mailer: exmh version 2.5 01/15/2001 with nmh-1.0.4 From: Keith Owens To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Local DoS on single_open? In-reply-to: Your message of "Thu, 11 Sep 2003 05:55:07 +0100." <20030911045507.GQ454@parcelfarce.linux.theplanet.co.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 17:26:54 +1000 Message-ID: <5311.1063265214@kao2.melbourne.sgi.com> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1213 Lines: 28 On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 05:55:07 +0100, viro@parcelfarce.linux.theplanet.co.uk wrote: >On Thu, Sep 11, 2003 at 02:42:13PM +1000, Keith Owens wrote: >> single_open() requires the kernel to kmalloc a buffer which lives until >> the userspace caller closes the file. What prevents a malicious user >> opening the same /proc entry multiple times, allocating lots of kmalloc >> space and causing a local DoS? > >Size of that buffer is limited. IOW, it's not different from opening >e.g. a shitload of pipes or sockets. In some cases, the buffer size is set to hold _all_ of the output for that particular /proc file and will be much larger than the data reserved for files and sockets. It is a difference in scale. fs/proc/proc_misc.c stat_open fs/proc/proc_misc.c interrupts_open kernel/dma.c proc_dma_open All those functions will kmalloc a reasonably sized buffer then let the user control the lifetime of that buffer. Looks like a recipe for a local DoS to me. - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/