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From: "Günther Noack" <gnoack@google.com>
To: "Mickaël Salaün" <mic@digikod.net>
Cc: linux-security-module@vger.kernel.org,
	"Günther Noack" <gnoack@google.com>
Subject: [PATCH] landlock: Document fallocate(2) as another truncation corner case
Date: Wed,  1 Apr 2026 17:09:10 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260401150911.1038072-1-gnoack@google.com> (raw)

Reinforce the already stated policy that LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_TRUNCATE should
always go hand in hand with LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_WRITE_FILE, as their
meanings and enforcement overlap in counterintuitive ways.

On many common file systems, fallocate(2) offers a way to shorten files as
long as the file is opened for writing, side-stepping the
LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_TRUNCATE right.

Assisted-by: Gemini-CLI:gemini-3.1
Signed-off-by: Günther Noack <gnoack@google.com>
---
 Documentation/userspace-api/landlock.rst | 8 ++++++--
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/landlock.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/landlock.rst
index 7f86d7a37dc2..d5691ec136cc 100644
--- a/Documentation/userspace-api/landlock.rst
+++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/landlock.rst
@@ -378,8 +378,8 @@ Truncating files
 
 The operations covered by ``LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_WRITE_FILE`` and
 ``LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_TRUNCATE`` both change the contents of a file and sometimes
-overlap in non-intuitive ways.  It is recommended to always specify both of
-these together.
+overlap in non-intuitive ways.  It is strongly recommended to always specify
+both of these together (either granting both, or granting none).
 
 A particularly surprising example is :manpage:`creat(2)`.  The name suggests
 that this system call requires the rights to create and write files.  However,
@@ -391,6 +391,10 @@ It should also be noted that truncating files does not require the
 system call, this can also be done through :manpage:`open(2)` with the flags
 ``O_RDONLY | O_TRUNC``.
 
+At the same time, on some filesystems, :manpage:`fallocate(2)` offers a way to
+shorten file contents with ``FALLOC_FL_COLLAPSE_RANGE`` when the file is opened
+for writing, sidestepping the ``LANDLOCK_ACCESS_FS_TRUNCATE`` right.
+
 The truncate right is associated with the opened file (see below).
 
 Rights associated with file descriptors
-- 
2.53.0.1185.g05d4b7b318-goog


             reply	other threads:[~2026-04-01 15:09 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 4+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-04-01 15:09 Günther Noack [this message]
2026-04-01 16:30 ` [PATCH] landlock: Document fallocate(2) as another truncation corner case Mickaël Salaün
2026-04-01 17:13   ` Günther Noack
2026-04-02 18:16     ` Mickaël Salaün

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