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[PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be set at build time

From Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org>
Newsgroups linux.kernel
Subject [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be set at build time
Date 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
Message-ID <tUeAF-U8-13@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <tUeqZ-QH-7@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

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Some hardened environments want to build kernels with slab_nomerge
already set (so that they do not depend on remembering to set the kernel
command line option). This is desired to reduce the risk of kernel heap
overflows being able to overwrite objects from merged caches, increasing
the difficulty of these attacks. By keeping caches unmerged, these kinds
of exploits can usually only damage objects in the same cache (though the
risk to metadata exploitation is unchanged).

Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org>
---
 mm/slab_common.c |  5 ++---
 security/Kconfig | 13 +++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/mm/slab_common.c b/mm/slab_common.c
index 6c14d765379f..17a4c4b33283 100644
--- a/mm/slab_common.c
+++ b/mm/slab_common.c
@@ -47,13 +47,12 @@ static DECLARE_WORK(slab_caches_to_rcu_destroy_work,
 
 /*
  * Merge control. If this is set then no merging of slab caches will occur.
- * (Could be removed. This was introduced to pacify the merge skeptics.)
  */
-static int slab_nomerge;
+static bool slab_nomerge = !IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SLAB_MERGE_DEFAULT);
 
 static int __init setup_slab_nomerge(char *str)
 {
-	slab_nomerge = 1;
+	slab_nomerge = true;
 	return 1;
 }
 
diff --git a/security/Kconfig b/security/Kconfig
index 0c181cebdb8a..e40bd2a260f8 100644
--- a/security/Kconfig
+++ b/security/Kconfig
@@ -166,6 +166,19 @@ config HARDENED_USERCOPY_SPLIT_KMALLOC
 	  confined to a separate cache, attackers must find other ways
 	  to prepare heap attacks that will be near their desired target.
 
+config SLAB_MERGE_DEFAULT
+	bool "Allow slab caches to be merged"
+	default y
+	help
+	  For reduced kernel memory fragmentation, slab caches can be
+	  merged when they share the same size and other characteristics.
+	  This carries a small risk of kernel heap overflows being able
+	  to overwrite objects from merged caches, which reduces the
+	  difficulty of such heap attacks. By keeping caches unmerged,
+	  these kinds of exploits can usually only damage objects in the
+	  same cache. To disable merging at runtime, "slab_nomerge" can be
+	  passed on the kernel command line.
+
 config STATIC_USERMODEHELPER
 	bool "Force all usermode helper calls through a single binary"
 	help
-- 
2.7.4

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[PATCH 00/23] Hardened usercopy whitelisting Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 13/23] ufs: define usercopy region in ufs_inode_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled  slabs to separate caches Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:30 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled  slabs to separate caches Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:50 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled  slabs to separate caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-21 00:30 +0200
    Re: [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate  caches Laura Abbott <labbott@redhat.com> - 2017-06-20 22:30 +0200
      Re: [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-21 00:30 +0200
        Re: [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate  caches Michal Hocko <mhocko@kernel.org> - 2017-06-27 09:40 +0200
          Re: [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-28 00:10 +0200
            Re: [PATCH 22/23] usercopy: split user-controlled slabs to separate  caches Michal Hocko <mhocko@kernel.org> - 2017-06-28 11:00 +0200
  [PATCH 08/23] ext2: define usercopy region in ext2_inode_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 15/23] net: define usercopy region in struct proto slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 14/23] fork: define usercopy region in thread_stack, task_struct, mm_struct slab caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 11/23] jfs: define usercopy region in jfs_ip slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:40 +0200
  [PATCH 20/23] usercopy: convert kmalloc caches to usercopy caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 05/23] befs: define usercopy region in befs_inode_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be set at build time Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be  set at build time Daniel Micay <danielmicay@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:10 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be set  at build time Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-21 01:00 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be  set at build time Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:30 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 23/23] mm: Allow slab_nomerge to be set  at build time Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-21 01:20 +0200
  [PATCH 19/23] xfs: define usercopy region in xfs_inode slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 01/23] usercopy: Prepare for usercopy whitelisting Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 03/23] vfs: define usercopy region in names_cache slab caches Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 17/23] dcache: define usercopy region in dentry_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 17/23] dcache: define usercopy region  in dentry_cache slab cache Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:10 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 17/23] dcache: define usercopy region  in dentry_cache slab cache Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-28 20:00 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 17/23] dcache: define usercopy region  in dentry_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-28 20:00 +0200
  [PATCH 04/23] vfs: copy struct mount.mnt_id to userspace using put_user() Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 06/23] cifs: define usercopy region in cifs_request slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 21/23] usercopy: Restrict non-usercopy caches to size 0 Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
    Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 21/23] usercopy: Restrict non-usercopy  caches to size 0 Eric Biggers <ebiggers3@gmail.com> - 2017-06-20 06:10 +0200
      Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 21/23] usercopy: Restrict non-usercopy  caches to size 0 Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-28 20:00 +0200
  [PATCH 18/23] scsi: define usercopy region in scsi_sense_cache slab cache Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  [PATCH 02/23] usercopy: Enforce slab cache usercopy region boundaries Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org> - 2017-06-20 01:50 +0200
  Re: [kernel-hardening] [PATCH 00/23] Hardened usercopy whitelisting Rik van Riel <riel@redhat.com> - 2017-06-20 21:50 +0200

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