In-Reply-To: <20080815132227.6BF0431678F@pmx1.sophos.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-security-module@vger.kernel.org,
       malware-list@lists.printk.net, malware-list-bounces@dmesg.printk.net,
       Theodore Tso <tytso@mit.edu>
Subject: Re: [malware-list] [RFC 0/5] [TALPA] Intro	to	alinuxinterfaceforonaccess
 scanning
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From: douglas.leeder@sophos.com
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:28:52 +0100
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malware-list-bounces@dmesg.printk.net wrote on 2008-08-15 14:22:27:

> malware-list-bounces@dmesg.printk.net wrote on 2008-08-15 14:16:21:
> 
> > On Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 08:57:48AM -0400, Press, Jonathan wrote:
> > > That may just be a question of terminology.  If the bits are 
construed
> > > not as clean/dirty/infected, but as "I care about this file" vs. "I
> > > don't care about this file" then the rubber gloves come off.
> > 
> > Sure, as long as we're very clear about the semantics of the bits.  If
> > the bits are not persistent, but which get dropped if the inode is
> > every evicted from memory, and it's considered OK, or even desirable,
> > to rescan the file when it is brought back into memory, that may be
> > acceptable to the rubber gloves folks (make people go through lots
> > superflous of security scans, even when they are transfering betewen
> > flights --- security is always more important than passengers'
> > convenience!), but perhaps not to other applications such as file
> > indexers, who would view rescanning files that have already been
> > scanned, and not have been modified, as a waste of time, battery, CPU
> > and disk bandwidth, etc.
> > 
> > As I understand it, the TALPA proposal had non-persistent
> > clean/dirty/infected bits.
> > 
> >                   - Ted
> 
> Yes the current proposal has temporary markers in the in-memory 
> representation if inodes.
> 
> This is a problem for current anti-malware scanning, as virus data 
updates 
> come every few hours
> (at which point the entire clean/infected state has to be cleared), so 
the 
> loss after a reboot is 
> limited.

Of course I mean't NOT a problem...

-- 
Douglas Leeder


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