public inbox for kvm@vger.kernel.org
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@linux.intel.com>
To: Amit Shah <amit.shah@redhat.com>
Cc: jgarzik@bitpay.com, tytso@mit.edu, herbert@gondor.apana.org.au,
	kvm list <kvm@vger.kernel.org>,
	ricardo.neri-calderon@linux.intel.com,
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	Virtualization List <virtualization@lists.linux-foundation.org>,
	duwe@lst.de
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/1] virtio: rng: add derating factor for use by hwrng core
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 07:59:32 -0700	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <53EA2BD4.2040903@linux.intel.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20140812052759.GI4184@grmbl.mre>

On 08/11/2014 10:27 PM, Amit Shah wrote:
> On (Mon) 11 Aug 2014 [15:11:03], H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> On 08/11/2014 11:49 AM, Amit Shah wrote:
>>> The khwrngd thread is started when a hwrng device of sufficient
>>> quality is registered.  The virtio-rng device is backed by the
>>> hypervisor, and we trust the hypervisor to provide real entropy.  A
>>> malicious hypervisor is a scenario that's ruled out, so we are certain
>>> the quality of randomness we receive is perfectly trustworthy.  Hence,
>>> we use 100% for the factor, indicating maximum confidence in the source.
>>>
>>> Signed-off-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@redhat.com>
>>
>> It isn't "ruled out", it is just irrelevant: if the hypervisor is
>> malicious, the quality of your random number source is the least of your
>> problems.
> 
> Yea; I meant ruled out in that sense.  Should the commit msg be more
> verbose?
> 

Yes, as it is written it is misleading.

	-hpa

      reply	other threads:[~2014-08-12 14:59 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 4+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2014-08-11 18:49 [PATCH 1/1] virtio: rng: add derating factor for use by hwrng core Amit Shah
2014-08-11 22:11 ` H. Peter Anvin
2014-08-12  5:27   ` Amit Shah
2014-08-12 14:59     ` H. Peter Anvin [this message]

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=53EA2BD4.2040903@linux.intel.com \
    --to=hpa@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=amit.shah@redhat.com \
    --cc=duwe@lst.de \
    --cc=herbert@gondor.apana.org.au \
    --cc=jgarzik@bitpay.com \
    --cc=kvm@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=ricardo.neri-calderon@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=tytso@mit.edu \
    --cc=virtualization@lists.linux-foundation.org \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox