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From: Kees Cook <keescook@chromium•org>
To: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation•org>
Cc: Andi Kleen <ak@linux•intel.com>,
	Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@infradead•org>,
	linux-next@vger•kernel.org, sfr@canb•auug.org.au, mhocko@suse•cz,
	linux-kernel@vger•kernel.org, Michal Marek <mmarek@suse•cz>,
	linux-kbuild@vger•kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH] kbuild: explain stack-protector-strong CONFIG logic
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2014 18:10:59 -0700	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20140703011059.GA6331@www.outflux.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20140702175635.79d54c44.akpm@linux-foundation.org>

This adds a hopefully helpful comment above the (seemingly weird)
compiler flag selection logic.

Suggested-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation•org>
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@chromium•org>
---
 Makefile |   16 ++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 16 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 13175632137f..ea88e68d121e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -630,6 +630,22 @@ KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-Wframe-larger-than=${CONFIG_FRAME_WARN})
 endif
 
 # Handle stack protector mode.
+#
+# Since kbuild can potentially perform two passes (first with the old
+# .config values and then with updated .config values), we cannot error out
+# if a desired compiler option is unsupported. If we were to error, kbuild
+# could never get to the second pass and actually notice that we changed
+# the option to something that was supported.
+#
+# Additionally, we don't want to fallback and/or silently change which compiler
+# flags will be used, since that leads to producing kernels with different
+# security feature characteristics depending on the compiler used. ("But I
+# selected CC_STACKPROTECTOR_STRONG! Why did it build with _REGULAR?!")
+#
+# The middle ground is to warn here so that the failed option is obvious, but
+# to let the build fail with bad compiler flags so that we can't produce a
+# kernel when there is a CONFIG and compiler mismatch.
+#
 ifdef CONFIG_CC_STACKPROTECTOR_REGULAR
   stackp-flag := -fstack-protector
   ifeq ($(call cc-option, $(stackp-flag)),)
-- 
1.7.9.5


-- 
Kees Cook
Chrome OS Security

  reply	other threads:[~2014-07-03  1:10 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 11+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2014-07-02 22:08 mmotm 2014-07-02-15-07 uploaded akpm
2014-07-02 23:21 ` mmotm 2014-07-02-15-07 uploaded (stack protector) Randy Dunlap
2014-07-03  0:22   ` Andi Kleen
2014-07-03  0:37     ` Randy Dunlap
2014-07-03  0:51     ` Kees Cook
2014-07-03  0:56       ` Andrew Morton
2014-07-03  1:10         ` Kees Cook [this message]
2014-07-03  1:00       ` Andi Kleen
2014-07-03  1:13         ` Kees Cook
2014-07-03  0:57   ` Kees Cook
2014-07-03  1:42     ` Randy Dunlap

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