+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #173493 +++ From Bugzilla Helper: User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Konqueror/3.4; Linux) KHTML/3.4.2 (like Gecko) Description of problem: The attached patch permits keys of certain types to be instantiated by an already running process. This facility has been requested for NFSv4 so that it can contact gssapid or similar. The patch makes the following changes: (1) A new, optional key type method has been added. This permits a key type to intercept requests at the point /sbin/request-key is about to be spawned and do something else with them - passing them over the rpc_pipefs files or netlink sockets for instance. The uninstantiated key, the authorisation key and the intended operation name are passed to the method. (2) The callout_info is no longer passed as an argument to /sbin/request-key to prevent unauthorised viewing of this data using ps or by looking in /proc/pid/cmdline. This means that the old /sbin/request-key program will not work with the patched kernel as it will expect to see an extra argument that is no longer there. A revised keyutils package will be made available tomorrow. (3) The callout_info is now attached to the authorisation key. Reading this key will retrieve the information. (4) A new field has been added to the task_struct. This holds the authorisation key currently active for a thread. Searches now look here for the caller's set of keys rather than looking for an auth key in the lowest level of the session keyring. This permits a thread to be servicing multiple requests at once and to switch between them. Note that this is per-thread, not per-process, and so is usable in multithreaded programs. The setting of this field is inherited across fork and exec. (5) A new keyctl function (KEYCTL_ASSUME_AUTHORITY) has been added that permits a thread to assume the authority to deal with an uninstantiated key. Assumption is only permitted if the authorisation key associated with the uninstantiated key is somewhere in the thread's keyrings. This function can also clear the assumption. (6) A new magic key specifier has been added to refer to the currently assumed authorisation key (KEY_SPEC_REQKEY_AUTH_KEY). (7) Instantiation will only proceed if the appropriate authorisation key is assumed first. The assumed authorisation key is discarded if instantiation is successful. (8) key_validate() is moved from the file of request_key functions to the file of permissions functions. (9) The documentation is updated. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: Install a key type (such as an NFSv4 key when available) that supports key instantiation in a running process and then issue a keyctl request2 for a key of that key type or, if it's NFSv4, open a file on that filesystem. Additional info: This patch is upstream in Andrew Morton's kernel. The keyutils and glibc-kernheaders will need updating for the facility provided by this patch to become available. Note that applying this patch will break /sbin/request-key as the invoker can no longer pass callout_info on the command line, but will instead store it in the authorisation key.
An advisory has been issued which should help the problem described in this bug report. This report is therefore being closed with a resolution of ERRATA. For more information on the solution and/or where to find the updated files, please follow the link below. You may reopen this bug report if the solution does not work for you. http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHEA-2006-0090.html