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Security risks in ve_allow_kthreads [message #25776] Tue, 08 January 2008 19:19 Go to next message
Jakob Goldbach is currently offline  Jakob Goldbach
Messages: 14
Registered: January 2008
Junior Member
Hi,

What securiy risks do I impose on myself when enabling kernel threads
inside the VE ?

/Jakob
Re: Security risks in ve_allow_kthreads [message #25789 is a reply to message #25776] Wed, 09 January 2008 07:27 Go to previous messageGo to next message
vaverin is currently offline  vaverin
Messages: 708
Registered: September 2005
Senior Member
When VE is stopped all processes should be finished. Userspace processes can be killed, but kernel threads cannot be stopped by this way.
You should have some guarantee that your kernel therads will be stopped by some way when VE is stopped. Otherwise you will have at least memory leakage.

thank you,
Vasily Averin
Re: Re: Security risks in ve_allow_kthreads [message #25790 is a reply to message #25789] Wed, 09 January 2008 07:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Jakob Goldbach is currently offline  Jakob Goldbach
Messages: 14
Registered: January 2008
Junior Member
On Wed, 2008-01-09 at 10:27 +0300, vaverin wrote:
> 
>  When VE is stopped all processes should be finished. Userspace processes can be killed, but kernel threads cannot be stopped by this way.

Okay. 

> You should have some guarantee that your kernel therads will be stopped by some way when VE is stopped. Otherwise you will have at least memory leakage.
> 

My kernel threads is from the Lustre filesystem which I mount ind the VE
after the VE has started. Unmounting this should stop the thread so I
should be in the clear. 

Thanks
/Jakob
Re: Security risks in ve_allow_kthreads [message #25791 is a reply to message #25776] Wed, 09 January 2008 07:52 Go to previous message
dev is currently offline  dev
Messages: 1693
Registered: September 2005
Location: Moscow
Senior Member

Jakob Goldbach wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> What securiy risks do I impose on myself when enabling kernel threads
> inside the VE ?

1. if kernel thread doesn't terminate on VE stop - VE stop will be blocked.
2. security implications can be that kernel threads usually can do things
   which user space applications can't. So security implications depend
   on what thread in question does.
3. if your system is quite trusted (2) is not an issue at all.
   only (1) must be concerned.

Kirill
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