Messages in this thread | | | From | "Jason A. Donenfeld" <> | Date | Mon, 10 Jan 2022 23:19:56 +0100 | Subject | Re: [PATCH v43 01/15] Linux Random Number Generator |
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On Mon, Jan 10, 2022 at 9:18 PM Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu> wrote: > In general, you need FIPS > certification for some specific use cases / application. For example, > if you're going for PCI compliance, then you might only need FIPS > compliance for your OpenSSL library. What the FIPS certification lab > might consider acceptable for its entropy for its DRBG is an > interesting question. For some, simply having the OpenSSL library use > RDSEED or RDRAND might be sufficient. Or it could talk to an actual > physical RNG device. > > So disabling getrandom() is probably not necessary, just so long as > you can demonstrate that the FIPS cryptographic module --- i.e., the > OpenSSL library --- is getting its entropy from an acceptable source.
I don't know exactly what these people think they want, but what you say seems probably correct.
> I suspect what's actually going on is that some enterprise customers > have FIPS complaince on a check-off list, and they aren't actually > getting a formal FIPS certification. Or they only need something to > wave under the noses of their PCI certification company, and so the > question is what makes them happy.
Right.
> And this is why some FIPS certification have gotten by just *fine* > with a pure userspace OpenSSL library as their FIPS cryptographic > module. Where you draw the line between a "blessed" entropy source > and one that's just hand-waving is really at the discretion of the > certification lab.
Hah, probably correct.
So, seen this way, and combined with the solution provided at [1] (or similar) for people who think they need something there, it seems like the FIPS people can likely get what they need without really needing to involve the kernel anyway.
Jason
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/YdynXjhhuQfbYuSb@zx2c4.com/
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