[PATCH v1 3/3] landlock: Update log documentation

Mickaël Salaün mic at digikod.net
Wed Apr 16 15:47:13 UTC 2025


Fix and improve documentation related to landlock_restrict_self(2)'s
flags.  Update the LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF
documentation according to the current semantic.

Cc: Günther Noack <gnoack at google.com>
Cc: Paul Moore <paul at paul-moore.com>
Signed-off-by: Mickaël Salaün <mic at digikod.net>
---
 include/uapi/linux/landlock.h | 64 +++++++++++++++++++++--------------
 1 file changed, 38 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/landlock.h b/include/uapi/linux/landlock.h
index 8b2a1dc5c70b..f030adc462ee 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/landlock.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/landlock.h
@@ -74,37 +74,49 @@ struct landlock_ruleset_attr {
  *
  * **Flags**
  *
+ * By default, denied accesses originating from programs that sandbox themselves
+ * are logged via the audit subsystem. Such events typically indicate unexpected
+ * behavior, such as bugs or exploitation attempts. However, to avoid excessive
+ * logging, access requests denied by a domain not created by the originating
+ * program are not logged by default. The rationale is that programs should know
+ * their own behavior, but not necessarily the behavior of other programs.  This
+ * default configuration is suitable for most programs that sandbox themselves.
+ * For specific use cases, the following flags allow programs to modify this
+ * default logging behavior.
+ *
+ * The %LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF and
+ * %LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_NEW_EXEC_ON flags apply to the newly created
+ * Landlock domain.
+ *
  * %LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF
- *     Do not create any log related to the enforced restrictions.  This should
- *     only be set by tools launching unknown or untrusted programs (e.g. a
- *     sandbox tool, container runtime, system service manager).  Because
- *     programs sandboxing themselves should fix any denied access, they should
- *     not set this flag to be aware of potential issues reported by system's
- *     logs (i.e. audit).
+ *     Disables logging of denied accesses originating from the thread creating
+ *     the Landlock domain, as well as its children, as long as they continue
+ *     running the same executable code (i.e., without an intervening
+ *     :manpage:`execve(2)` call). This is intended for programs that execute
+ *     unknown code without invoking :manpage:`execve(2)`, such as script
+ *     interpreters. Programs that only sandbox themselves should not set this
+ *     flag, so users can be notified of unauthorized access attempts via system
+ *     logs.
  *
  * %LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_NEW_EXEC_ON
- *     Explicitly ask to continue logging denied access requests even after an
- *     :manpage:`execve(2)` call.  This flag should only be set if all the
- *     programs than can legitimately be executed will not try to request a
- *     denied access (which could spam audit logs).
+ *     Enables logging of denied accesses after an :manpage:`execve(2)` call,
+ *     providing visibility into unauthorized access attempts by newly executed
+ *     programs within the created Landlock domain. This flag is recommended
+ *     only when all potential executables in the domain are expected to comply
+ *     with the access restrictions, as excessive audit log entries could make
+ *     it more difficult to identify critical events.
  *
  * %LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SUBDOMAINS_OFF
- *     Do not create any log related to the enforced restrictions coming from
- *     future nested domains created by the caller or its descendants.  This
- *     should only be set according to a runtime configuration (i.e. not
- *     hardcoded) by programs launching other unknown or untrusted programs that
- *     may create their own Landlock domains and spam logs.  The main use case
- *     is for container runtimes to enable users to mute buggy sandboxed
- *     programs for a specific container image.  Other use cases include
- *     sandboxer tools and init systems.  Unlike
- *     ``LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF``,
- *     ``LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SUBDOMAINS_OFF`` does not impact the
- *     requested restriction (if any) but only the future nested domains.
- *
- *     It is allowed to only pass the
- *     ``LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SUBDOMAINS_OFF`` flag with a @ruleset_fd
- *     value of -1.
- *
+ *     Disables logging of denied accesses originating from nested Landlock
+ *     domains created by the caller or its descendants. This flag should be set
+ *     according to runtime configuration, not hardcoded, to avoid suppressing
+ *     important security events. It is useful for container runtimes or
+ *     sandboxing tools that may launch programs which themselves create
+ *     Landlock domains and could otherwise generate excessive logs. Unlike
+ *     ``LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF``, this flag only affects
+ *     future nested domains, not the one being created. It can also be used
+ *     with a @ruleset_fd value of -1 to mute subdomain logs without creating a
+ *     domain.
  */
 /* clang-format off */
 #define LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_LOG_SAME_EXEC_OFF		(1U << 0)
-- 
2.49.0




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