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Paul Moore f22f9aaf6c selinux: remove the runtime disable functionality
After working with the larger SELinux-based distros for several
years, we're finally at a place where we can disable the SELinux
runtime disable functionality.  The existing kernel deprecation
notice explains the functionality and why we want to remove it:

  The selinuxfs "disable" node allows SELinux to be disabled at
  runtime prior to a policy being loaded into the kernel.  If
  disabled via this mechanism, SELinux will remain disabled until
  the system is rebooted.

  The preferred method of disabling SELinux is via the "selinux=0"
  boot parameter, but the selinuxfs "disable" node was created to
  make it easier for systems with primitive bootloaders that did not
  allow for easy modification of the kernel command line.
  Unfortunately, allowing for SELinux to be disabled at runtime makes
  it difficult to secure the kernel's LSM hooks using the
  "__ro_after_init" feature.

It is that last sentence, mentioning the '__ro_after_init' hardening,
which is the real motivation for this change, and if you look at the
diffstat you'll see that the impact of this patch reaches across all
the different LSMs, helping prevent tampering at the LSM hook level.

From a SELinux perspective, it is important to note that if you
continue to disable SELinux via "/etc/selinux/config" it may appear
that SELinux is disabled, but it is simply in an uninitialized state.
If you load a policy with `load_policy -i`, you will see SELinux
come alive just as if you had loaded the policy during early-boot.

It is also worth noting that the "/sys/fs/selinux/disable" file is
always writable now, regardless of the Kconfig settings, but writing
to the file has no effect on the system, other than to display an
error on the console if a non-zero/true value is written.

Finally, in the several years where we have been working on
deprecating this functionality, there has only been one instance of
someone mentioning any user visible breakage.  In this particular
case it was an individual's kernel test system, and the workaround
documented in the deprecation notice ("selinux=0" on the kernel
command line) resolved the issue without problem.

Acked-by: Casey Schaufler <casey@schaufler-ca.com>
Signed-off-by: Paul Moore <paul@paul-moore.com>
2023-03-20 12:34:23 -04:00
arch cpumask: re-introduce constant-sized cpumask optimizations 2023-03-05 14:30:34 -08:00
block block-6.3-2023-03-03 2023-03-03 10:21:39 -08:00
certs Kbuild updates for v6.3 2023-02-26 11:53:25 -08:00
crypto Networking changes for 6.3. 2023-02-21 18:24:12 -08:00
Documentation selinux: remove the runtime disable functionality 2023-03-20 12:34:23 -04:00
drivers This push fixes a regression in the caam driver. 2023-03-05 11:32:30 -08:00
fs 17 hotfixes. Eight are for MM and seven are for other parts of the 2023-03-04 13:32:50 -08:00
include selinux: remove the runtime disable functionality 2023-03-20 12:34:23 -04:00
init Kbuild updates for v6.3 2023-02-26 11:53:25 -08:00
io_uring io_uring-6.3-2023-03-03 2023-03-03 10:25:29 -08:00
ipc Merge branch 'work.namespace' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/viro/vfs 2023-02-24 19:20:07 -08:00
kernel A set of updates for the interrupt susbsystem: 2023-03-05 11:19:16 -08:00
lib cpumask: re-introduce constant-sized cpumask optimizations 2023-03-05 14:30:34 -08:00
LICENSES LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license 2022-11-08 15:44:01 +01:00
mm mm: avoid gcc complaint about pointer casting 2023-03-04 14:03:27 -08:00
net nfsd-6.3 fixes: 2023-03-01 11:03:44 -08:00
rust Rust fixes for 6.3-rc1 2023-03-03 14:51:15 -08:00
samples LoongArch changes for v6.3 2023-03-01 09:27:00 -08:00
scripts Remove Intel compiler support 2023-03-05 10:49:37 -08:00
security selinux: remove the runtime disable functionality 2023-03-20 12:34:23 -04:00
sound sound fixes for 6.3-rc1 2023-03-04 10:53:59 -08:00
tools Changes in this cycle were: 2023-03-02 09:45:34 -08:00
usr usr/gen_init_cpio.c: remove unnecessary -1 values from int file 2022-10-03 14:21:44 -07:00
virt KVM/riscv changes for 6.3 2023-02-15 12:33:28 -05:00
.clang-format cpumask: re-introduce constant-sized cpumask optimizations 2023-03-05 14:30:34 -08:00
.cocciconfig
.get_maintainer.ignore get_maintainer: add Alan to .get_maintainer.ignore 2022-08-20 15:17:44 -07:00
.gitattributes .gitattributes: use 'dts' diff driver for *.dtso files 2023-02-26 15:28:23 +09:00
.gitignore .gitignore: ignore *.cover and *.mbx 2023-02-05 18:51:22 +09:00
.mailmap mailmap: map Dikshita Agarwal's old address to his current one 2023-03-02 21:54:24 -08:00
.rustfmt.toml rust: add .rustfmt.toml 2022-09-28 09:02:20 +02:00
COPYING COPYING: state that all contributions really are covered by this file 2020-02-10 13:32:20 -08:00
CREDITS There is no particular theme here - mainly quick hits all over the tree. 2023-02-23 17:55:40 -08:00
Kbuild Kbuild updates for v6.1 2022-10-10 12:00:45 -07:00
Kconfig kbuild: ensure full rebuild when the compiler is updated 2020-05-12 13:28:33 +09:00
MAINTAINERS Adding Christian Brauner as VFS co-maintainer. 2023-03-05 11:11:52 -08:00
Makefile Linux 6.3-rc1 2023-03-05 14:52:03 -08:00
README Drop all 00-INDEX files from Documentation/ 2018-09-09 15:08:58 -06:00

Linux kernel
============

There are several guides for kernel developers and users. These guides can
be rendered in a number of formats, like HTML and PDF. Please read
Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst first.

In order to build the documentation, use ``make htmldocs`` or
``make pdfdocs``.  The formatted documentation can also be read online at:

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/

There are various text files in the Documentation/ subdirectory,
several of them using the Restructured Text markup notation.

Please read the Documentation/process/changes.rst file, as it contains the
requirements for building and running the kernel, and information about
the problems which may result by upgrading your kernel.