[RFC PATCH v3 09/12] LSM: x86/sgx: Introduce ->enclave_load() hook for Intel SGX

[James Morris]

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019, Dr. Greg wrote:

> The most relevant and important control with respect to whether or not
> an enclave should be allowed to execute is evaluation of the
> SIGSTRUCT.  Given the trajectory that platform security is on, SGX is
> not going to be the last technology of its type nor the only
> technology that makes use of cryptographically based code provenance.
> 
> As a result, if we are content with handing an opaque pointer of a
> descriptive struture to an LSM routine, a generic hook that is tasked
> with verifying code or execution environment provenance doesn't seem
> like it would need to be technology specific nor controversial.
> 
> That leaves as the last thorny issue the question of dynamic
> allocation of memory for executable content.  As we have stated
> before, and at the outset of this note, from a security perspective
> this is only, effectively, a binary question for the platform owner as
> to whether or not the concept should be allowed.
> 
> A generic LSM hook, appropriately named, could execute that decision
> without being SGX specific.  Arguably, the hook should be named to
> indicate that it is seeking approval for allocating memory to be used
> for anonymous executable content, since that is what it would be
> effectively requesting approval for, in the case of SGX.
> 
> For completeness a third generic hook may be useful.  The purpose of
> that hook would be to verify a block of memory as being
> measured or signed for consideration as executable content.  Arguably
> that will have utility far beyond SGX.
> 
> In the case of SGX it would address the issue as to whether or not a
> block of executable content in untrusted space is eligible for
> anonymous execution.  That may be a useful security measure in order
> to provide some control over an enclave being used as a random
> execution oracle.
> 
> It obviously has no security utility against the enclave author since,
> as we have noted before, it is possible for the enclave author to
> simply pull whatever code is desired over an encrypted network
> connection.
> 
> > James Morris
> 
> Hopefully these comments are a useful basis for further discussion.

Thanks, this is helpful.

-- 
James Morris
<jmorris at namei.org>