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Subject: Re: [PATCH 5.4 031/184] modules: inherit TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE
To:     Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc:     stable@vger.kernel.org, Daniel Vetter <daniel.vetter@ffwll.ch>,
        Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>, Jessica Yu <jeyu@kernel.org>
References: <20210510101950.200777181@linuxfoundation.org>
 <20210510101951.249384110@linuxfoundation.org>
From:   Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzysztof.kozlowski@canonical.com>
Message-ID: <8edc6f45-6c42-19c7-6f40-6f1a49cc685b@canonical.com>
Date:   Fri, 18 Jun 2021 10:57:23 +0200
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On 10/05/2021 12:18, Greg Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> From: Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>
> 
> commit 262e6ae7081df304fc625cf368d5c2cbba2bb991 upstream.
> 
> If a TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE exports symbol, inherit the taint flag
> for all modules importing these symbols, and don't allow loading
> symbols from TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE modules if the module previously
> imported gplonly symbols.  Add a anti-circumvention devices so people
> don't accidentally get themselves into trouble this way.
> 
> Comment from Greg:
>   "Ah, the proven-to-be-illegal "GPL Condom" defense :)"

Patch got in to stable, so my comments are quite late, but can someone
explain me - how this is a stable material? What specific, real bug that
bothers people, is being fixed here? Or maybe it fixes serious issue
reported by a user of distribution kernel? IOW, how does this match
stable kernel rules at all?

For sure it breaks some out-of-tree modules already present and used by
customers of downstream stable kernels. Therefore I wonder what is the
bug fixed here, so the breakage and annoyance of stable users is justified.


> 
> [jeyu: pr_info -> pr_err and pr_warn as per discussion]
> Link: http://lore.kernel.org/r/20200730162957.GA22469@lst.de
> Acked-by: Daniel Vetter <daniel.vetter@ffwll.ch>
> Reviewed-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>
> Signed-off-by: Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>
> Signed-off-by: Jessica Yu <jeyu@kernel.org>
> Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>


Best regards,
Krzysztof