Re: Proposal, again: Disable autoload of compat_xyz modules

[tlaronde%polynum.com@localhost]

On Thu, Sep 26, 2019 at 10:17:51AM +0200, Maxime Villard wrote:
> I recently made a big set of changes to fix many bugs and vulnerabilities in
> compat_linux and compat_linux32, the majority of which have a security impact
> bigger than the Intel CPU bugs we hear about so much. These compat layers are
> enabled by default, so everybody is affected.
> 

I'm just an user, so I have just a question about the scope of the
problem:

Are the bugs and vulnerabilities in the compat_linux*, due to the compat
glue added, opening code paths that can be exploited by a non-linux
program for security threats or are the vulnerabilities only problems
if a linux binary is run---and perhaps other (SCO) binaries?

Because, as I see it, if this opens security problems even for the ones
that do _not_ use linux (or other alien) binaries, as long as the 
features are still easily added (even by a post-install fix for pkgsrc
programs) by loading
a module for the ones who have to run alien programs, not including by
default the compat_linux* modules (you don't speak about the NetBSD ABI
compatibility, right?), seems reasonable.

If the vulnerabilities can only be exploited by running Linux binaries,
IMHO, the point is moot: the ones that don't run Linux binaries are not
affected; the ones that do need to run some Linux binaries will have to
add the feature so this adds a user's intervention for the very same
result at the end.

Furthermore, if the compatibility code is adding/opening problems that
do not exist in the linux system emulated, it will mean that the
security problem can be only exerted by someone creating a special
version of a Linux program hoping it will be run under compat on
NetBSD... Security is a matter of probabilities for me, and it seems
that bugs (crashes) that is: not intentional "unfelicities" are more
probable than malice in this case...

Once more, I'm just a user. So the only thing I'm looking for is a
precision about the scope of the problem---I will obviously cope with
whatever decision is reached since I'm definitively not prepared to fork
:-^

Best,
-- 
        Thierry Laronde <tlaronde +AT+ polynum +dot+ com>
                     http://www.kergis.com/
                       http://www.sbfa.fr/
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