Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 09:54:25 +0200
From: Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>
To: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: Mimi Zohar <zohar@linux.vnet.ibm.com>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
       safford@watson.ibm.com, serue@linux.vnet.ibm.com, sailer@watson.ibm.com,
       zohar@us.ibm.com, Stephen Smalley <sds@tycho.nsa.gov>,
       CaseySchaufler <casey@schaufler-ca.com>
Subject: Re: [RFC][Patch 5/5]integrity: IMA as an integrity service provider
Message-ID: <20080531075425.GF5405@ucw.cz>
References: <1211555145.16195.18.camel@new-host> <20080528012242.a0e98d87.akpm@linux-foundation.org>
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On Wed 2008-05-28 01:22:42, Andrew Morton wrote:
> On Fri, 23 May 2008 11:05:45 -0400 Mimi Zohar <zohar@linux.vnet.ibm.com> wrote:
> 
> > This is a re-release of Integrity Measurement Architecture(IMA) as an
> > independent Linunx Integrity Module(LIM) service provider, which implements
> > the new LIM must_measure(), collect_measurement(), store_measurement(), and
> > display_template() API calls. The store_measurement() call supports two 
> > types of data, IMA (i.e. file data) and generic template data.
...
> Generally: the code is all moderately intrusive into the VFS and this
> sort of thing does need careful explanation and justification, please. 
> Once we have some understanding of what you're trying to achieve here
> we will inevitably ask "can't that be done in userspace".  So it would
> be best if your description were to preemptively answer all that.  

...also, it would be nice to see explanation 'what is this good for'.

Closest explanation I remember was 'it will protect you by making
system unbootable if someone stole disk with your /usr filesystem --
but not / filesystem -- added some rootkit, and then stealthily
returned it'. That seems a) very unlikely scenario and b) probably
better solved by encrypting /usr.
							Pavel
-- 
(english) http://www.livejournal.com/~pavelmachek
(cesky, pictures) http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel/picture/horses/blog.html
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