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SubjectRe: [RFC][PATCH 7/7] kref: Implement using refcount_t
On Wed, Nov 16, 2016 at 10:07:37AM +0100, Ingo Molnar wrote:
>
> * Greg KH <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, Nov 16, 2016 at 09:31:55AM +0100, Ingo Molnar wrote:
> > > So what I'd love to see is to have a kernel option that re-introduces some
> > > historic root (and other) holes that can be exploited deterministically -
> > > obviously default disabled.
> >
> > Ick, I don't want to have to support nasty #ifdefs for
> > "CONFIG_TOTALLY_INSECURE" type options in code logic for the next 20+
> > years, do you?
>
> I'd write it in C, not CPP, so it would be an 'if', but yeah, it would be extra
> code otherwise.
>
> So I'd restrict this strictly to cases:
>
> - Where the maintainer absolutely agrees to carry it.
>
> - Where it's still easy to do technically - for example a single unobtrusive
> 'if' condition or so, in cases where the current upstream code still has a
> similar structure conductive to the re-introducion of the bug. Such testcases
> can be dropped the moment they interfere with active development.
>
> - Plus an additional approach could be that some of the typical holes can be
> reproduced in completely separate code that is not seen by anyone who doesn't
> want to see it.

Ok, but in looking at a number of "security" fixes over the past year or
so, I don't think that many of them would really work well for this.
Just look at all of the "don't reference a NULL pointer" bugs for an
example of that.

> I doubt many bugs have 20 years life times in face of frequent code reorganization
> - and if code is static for 20 years then there won't be much extra maintenance
> overhead, right?

Hah, you obviously are not in charge of maintaining the tty layer :)

Anyway, if you want to try this for the next type of security "issue" in
your area of the kernel, be my guest, but I think it's going to be a lot
harder than you think.

thanks,

greg k-h

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