Gentoo Archives: gentoo-hardened

From: Chris PeBenito <pebenito@g.o>
To: Hardened Gentoo Mail List <gentoo-hardened@g.o>
Cc: Gentoo Development Mail List <gentoo-dev@g.o>
Subject: [gentoo-hardened] SELinux + ReiserFS problem
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 01:54:46
Message-Id: 1062294885.6209.27.camel@chris.pebenito.net
1 There is an upcoming problem for SELinux users that use reiserfs. The
2 new SELinux API that was accepted into 2.6 uses extended attributes with
3 security labels for labeling files. This SELinux API has been backported
4 to 2.4 (present in masked selinux-sources-2.4.21-r2). Ext3 already has
5 these required extended attribute features, but reiserfs does not,
6 meaning you cannot use reiserfs with the new API SELinux. No one is
7 interested in making reiserfs work; even Hans Reiser says to wait till
8 Reiser4.
9
10 I want to get everyone converted to the new API because it will
11 significantly more difficult supporting both APIs, especially since
12 there are different sets of userland patches. The NSA doesn't maintain
13 the old API either. But this reiserfs problem is a blocker. SuSE has
14 some reiserfs patches for extended attributes, but they lack security
15 labels. I've been trying to add on the security labels to the SuSE
16 patches, but have not been successful.
17
18 So this is a notice to reiserfs users. It might be a good idea to
19 convert your systems to ext3, if possible. We do want to support
20 reiserfs, but it may not be doable till 2.6/Reiser4.
21
22 If any kernel people are interested in helping to get this to work, let
23 me know, it would be a huge help.
24
25 --
26 Chris PeBenito
27 <pebenito@g.o>
28 Developer, SELinux
29 Hardened Gentoo Linux
30
31 Public Key: http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0xE6AF9243
32 Key fingerprint = B0E6 877A 883F A57A 8E6A CB00 BC8E E42D E6AF 9243

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