From: sashiko-bot@kernel.org
To: "Josef Bacik" <josef@toxicpanda.com>,
"Serge Hallyn" <serge@hallyn.com>,
"Paul Moore" <paul@paul-moore.com>,
"Christian Brauner" <brauner@kernel.org>
Cc: "James Morris" <jmorris@namei.org>,
"David Howells" <dhowells@redhat.com>,
"Jarkko Sakkinen" <jarkko@kernel.org>,
"Andrew G. Morgan" <morgan@kernel.org>,
"Serge Hallyn" <sergeh@kernel.org>,
linux-security-module@vger.kernel.org, keyrings@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v5 4/5] capabilities: limit fscaps to where CAP_SETFCAP reaches
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:56:57 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <sashiko-outbox-182974@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20261023-b4-setfcap-userns-v5-4-0620223be951@toxicpanda.com>
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [High] capabilities: unconverted v2 fscap bypass in cap_convert_nscap()
--
commit e902e2977ca7e209d89cc64e5a8e3a585eddb980
Author: Josef Bacik <josef@toxicpanda.com>
capabilities: limit fscaps to where CAP_SETFCAP reaches
This commit restricts writing file capabilities in cap_convert_nscap() so
that the root user named by a v2 or v3 security.capability xattr (both as
seen through an idmapped mount and on the underlying filesystem) cannot be
uid 0 in an ancestor user namespace beyond task_ns->setfcap_level.
> diff --git a/security/commoncap.c b/security/commoncap.c
> index 8a9d998b18972..3551ce9b046ad 100644
> --- a/security/commoncap.c
> +++ b/security/commoncap.c
> @@ -216,6 +216,29 @@ bool cred_may_setfcap_userns(const struct cred *cred, struct user_namespace *ns)
> return !top || cred_setfcap_reaches(cred, ns->parent, top->level);
> }
>
> +/**
> + * cap_root_level - Find the topmost namespace in which a kuid is the root user
> + * @kuid: The kuid to look for
> + * @ns: The user namespace to start from
> + *
> + * Return: the lowest ->level among @ns and its ancestors in which @kuid is
> + * uid 0, which is how far up file capabilities with that root user are
> + * honoured; INT_MAX if there is no such namespace.
> + */
> +static int cap_root_level(kuid_t kuid, struct user_namespace *ns)
> +{
> + int level = INT_MAX;
> +
> + for (;; ns = ns->parent) {
> + if (from_kuid(ns, kuid) == 0)
> + level = ns->level;
> + if (ns == &init_user_ns)
> + break;
> + }
> +
> + return level;
> +}
> +
> /**
> * cap_settime - Determine whether the current process may set the system clock
> * @ts: The time to set
> @@ -671,19 +694,41 @@ int cap_convert_nscap(const struct mnt_idmap *idmap, struct dentry *dentry,
> return -EINVAL;
> if (!capable_wrt_inode_uidgid(idmap, inode, CAP_SETFCAP))
> return -EPERM;
> - if (size == XATTR_CAPS_SZ_2 && (idmap == &nop_mnt_idmap))
> - if (ns_capable(inode->i_sb->s_user_ns, CAP_SETFCAP))
> - /* user is privileged, just write the v2 */
> - return size;
> + /*
> + * A v2 xattr belongs to the root user of the filesystem's namespace,
> + * which may be the root user of ancestors of our namespace as well.
> + * Only write it unconverted if that root user is within reach, the
> + * checks below handle everything else.
> + */
> + if (size == XATTR_CAPS_SZ_2 && idmap == &nop_mnt_idmap &&
> + ns_capable(fs_ns, CAP_SETFCAP) &&
> + cap_root_level(make_kuid(fs_ns, 0), task_ns) >=
> + task_ns->setfcap_level)
> + /* user is privileged, just write the v2 */
> + return size;
[Severity: High]
What happens in cap_convert_nscap() if uid 0 is not mapped in fs_ns when
writing a v2 capability xattr (size == XATTR_CAPS_SZ_2) on a non-idmapped
mount (idmap == &nop_mnt_idmap)?
Unlike the v3 conversion path further down in cap_convert_nscap(), which
checks vfsuid_valid(vfsrootid) and uid_valid(rootid) before calling
cap_root_level(), this v2 fast-path passes make_kuid(fs_ns, 0) directly to
cap_root_level() without checking uid_valid().
When uid 0 is not mapped in fs_ns, make_kuid(fs_ns, 0) returns INVALID_UID.
In cap_root_level(INVALID_UID, task_ns), from_kuid(ns, INVALID_UID) returns
(uid_t)-1 for every namespace up to init_user_ns, so cap_root_level() returns
INT_MAX. Because INT_MAX >= task_ns->setfcap_level is always true,
cap_convert_nscap() returns size and writes the unconverted v2 xattr.
For example, if a task without CAP_SETFCAP unshares a user namespace
(setting setfcap_level to 1) and maps only a non-zero UID (or creates an
unmapped child user namespace and mounts a tmpfs in it), make_kuid(fs_ns, 0)
is INVALID_UID. Wouldn't that allow the task to write an unconverted v2
security.capability xattr on the tmpfs inode, which could then be honoured
through an overlay mounted in init_user_ns, or honoured if fs_ns->uid_map is
later written to map uid 0? And when task_ns == fs_ns has no uid 0 mapping,
writing a v2 xattr writes an unconverted v2 xattr instead of falling through
to rootid_from_xattr() and failing with -EINVAL.
Should the v2 check verify uid_valid(make_kuid(fs_ns, 0)) (or should
cap_root_level() reject !uid_valid(kuid)) before allowing the unconverted v2
xattr to be written?
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20261023-b4-setfcap-userns-v5-0-0620223be951@toxicpanda.com?part=4
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-10-23 16:56 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 12+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-10-23 16:30 [PATCH v5 0/5] capabilities: close the ways around the CAP_SETFCAP rule for uid 0 Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 16:30 ` [PATCH v5 1/5] userns: record how far up CAP_SETFCAP reaches Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 16:44 ` sashiko-bot
2026-10-23 16:30 ` [PATCH v5 2/5] userns: don't let setns() lend CAP_SETFCAP Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 16:46 ` sashiko-bot
2026-10-23 16:30 ` [PATCH v5 3/5] userns: check the opener and the writer before mapping uid 0 Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 17:03 ` sashiko-bot
2026-10-23 18:42 ` Jarkko Sakkinen
2026-10-23 16:30 ` [PATCH v5 4/5] capabilities: limit fscaps to where CAP_SETFCAP reaches Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 16:56 ` sashiko-bot [this message]
2026-10-23 16:30 ` [PATCH v5 5/5] capabilities: don't let ptrace borrow CAP_SETFCAP Josef Bacik
2026-10-23 16:47 ` sashiko-bot
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