Re: [RFC PATCH v1 01/11] security: add LSM blob and hooks for namespaces

Günther Noack
2026-04-22T21:21:20Z

On Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 11:04:34AM +0100, Mickaël Salaün wrote:
> From: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
>
> All namespace types now share the same ns_common infrastructure. Extend
> this to include a security blob so LSMs can start managing namespaces
> uniformly without having to add one-off hooks or security fields to
> every individual namespace type.
>
> Add a ns_security pointer to ns_common and the corresponding lbs_ns
> blob size to lsm_blob_sizes. Allocation and freeing hooks are called
> from the common __ns_common_init() and __ns_common_free() paths so
> every namespace type gets covered in one go. All information about the
> namespace type and the appropriate casting helpers to get at the
> containing namespace are available via ns_common making it
> straightforward for LSMs to differentiate when they need to.
>
> A namespace_install hook is called from validate_ns() during setns(2)
> giving LSMs a chance to enforce policy on namespace transitions.
>
> Individual namespace types can still have their own specialized security
> hooks when needed. This is just the common baseline that makes it easy
> to track and manage namespaces from the security side without requiring
> every namespace type to reinvent the wheel.
>
> Cc: Günther Noack <gnoack@google.com>
> Cc: Paul Moore <paul@paul-moore.com>
> Cc: Serge E. Hallyn <serge@hallyn.com>
> Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20260216-work-security-namespace-v1-1-075c28758e1f@kernel.org
> ---
> include/linux/lsm_hook_defs.h | 3 ++
> include/linux/lsm_hooks.h | 1 +
> include/linux/ns/ns_common_types.h | 3 ++
> include/linux/security.h | 20 ++++++++
> kernel/nscommon.c | 12 +++++
> kernel/nsproxy.c | 8 +++-
> security/lsm_init.c | 2 +
> security/security.c | 76 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 8 files changed, 124 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/include/linux/lsm_hook_defs.h b/include/linux/lsm_hook_defs.h
> index 8c42b4bde09c..fefd3aa6d8f4 100644
> --- a/include/linux/lsm_hook_defs.h
> +++ b/include/linux/lsm_hook_defs.h
> @@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ LSM_HOOK(int, -ENOSYS, task_prctl, int option, unsigned long arg2,
> LSM_HOOK(void, LSM_RET_VOID, task_to_inode, struct task_struct *p,
> struct inode *inode)
> LSM_HOOK(int, 0, userns_create, const struct cred *cred)
> +LSM_HOOK(int, 0, namespace_alloc, struct ns_common *ns)
> +LSM_HOOK(void, LSM_RET_VOID, namespace_free, struct ns_common *ns)
> +LSM_HOOK(int, 0, namespace_install, const struct nsset *nsset, struct ns_common *ns)
> LSM_HOOK(int, 0, ipc_permission, struct kern_ipc_perm *ipcp, short flag)
> LSM_HOOK(void, LSM_RET_VOID, ipc_getlsmprop, struct kern_ipc_perm *ipcp,
> struct lsm_prop *prop)
> diff --git a/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h b/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> index d48bf0ad26f4..3e7afe76e86c 100644
> --- a/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> +++ b/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> @@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ struct lsm_blob_sizes {
> unsigned int lbs_ipc;
> unsigned int lbs_key;
> unsigned int lbs_msg_msg;
> + unsigned int lbs_ns;
> unsigned int lbs_perf_event;
> unsigned int lbs_task;
> unsigned int lbs_xattr_count; /* num xattr slots in new_xattrs array */
> diff --git a/include/linux/ns/ns_common_types.h b/include/linux/ns/ns_common_types.h
> index 0014fbc1c626..170288e2e895 100644
> --- a/include/linux/ns/ns_common_types.h
> +++ b/include/linux/ns/ns_common_types.h
> @@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ struct ns_common {
> struct dentry *stashed;
> const struct proc_ns_operations *ops;
> unsigned int inum;
> +#ifdef CONFIG_SECURITY
> + void *ns_security;
> +#endif
> union {
> struct ns_tree;
> struct rcu_head ns_rcu;
> diff --git a/include/linux/security.h b/include/linux/security.h
> index 83a646d72f6f..611b9098367d 100644
> --- a/include/linux/security.h
> +++ b/include/linux/security.h
> @@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ enum fs_value_type;
> struct watch;
> struct watch_notification;
> struct lsm_ctx;
> +struct nsset;
>
> /* Default (no) options for the capable function */
> #define CAP_OPT_NONE 0x0
> @@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ struct lsm_ctx;
>
> struct ctl_table;
> struct audit_krule;
> +struct ns_common;
> struct user_namespace;
> struct timezone;
>
> @@ -533,6 +535,9 @@ int security_task_prctl(int option, unsigned long arg2, unsigned long arg3,
> unsigned long arg4, unsigned long arg5);
> void security_task_to_inode(struct task_struct *p, struct inode *inode);
> int security_create_user_ns(const struct cred *cred);
> +int security_namespace_alloc(struct ns_common *ns);
> +void security_namespace_free(struct ns_common *ns);
> +int security_namespace_install(const struct nsset *nsset, struct ns_common *ns);
> int security_ipc_permission(struct kern_ipc_perm *ipcp, short flag);
> void security_ipc_getlsmprop(struct kern_ipc_perm *ipcp, struct lsm_prop *prop);
> int security_msg_msg_alloc(struct msg_msg *msg);
> @@ -1407,6 +1412,21 @@ static inline int security_create_user_ns(const struct cred *cred)
> return 0;
> }
>
> +static inline int security_namespace_alloc(struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + return 0;
> +}
> +
> +static inline void security_namespace_free(struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> +}
> +
> +static inline int security_namespace_install(const struct nsset *nsset,
> + struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + return 0;
> +}
> +
> static inline int security_ipc_permission(struct kern_ipc_perm *ipcp,
> short flag)
> {
> diff --git a/kernel/nscommon.c b/kernel/nscommon.c
> index bdc3c86231d3..de774e374f9d 100644
> --- a/kernel/nscommon.c
> +++ b/kernel/nscommon.c
> @@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
> #include <linux/ns_common.h>
> #include <linux/nstree.h>
> #include <linux/proc_ns.h>
> +#include <linux/security.h>
> #include <linux/user_namespace.h>
> #include <linux/vfsdebug.h>
>
> @@ -59,6 +60,9 @@ int __ns_common_init(struct ns_common *ns, u32 ns_type, const struct proc_ns_ope
>
> refcount_set(&ns->__ns_ref, 1);
> ns->stashed = NULL;
> +#ifdef CONFIG_SECURITY
> + ns->ns_security = NULL;
> +#endif
> ns->ops = ops;
> ns->ns_id = 0;
> ns->ns_type = ns_type;
> @@ -77,6 +81,13 @@ int __ns_common_init(struct ns_common *ns, u32 ns_type, const struct proc_ns_ope
> ret = proc_alloc_inum(&ns->inum);
> if (ret)
> return ret;
> +
> + ret = security_namespace_alloc(ns);
> + if (ret) {
> + proc_free_inum(ns->inum);
> + return ret;
> + }
> +
> /*
> * Tree ref starts at 0. It's incremented when namespace enters
> * active use (installed in nsproxy) and decremented when all
> @@ -91,6 +102,7 @@ int __ns_common_init(struct ns_common *ns, u32 ns_type, const struct proc_ns_ope
>
> void __ns_common_free(struct ns_common *ns)
> {
> + security_namespace_free(ns);
> proc_free_inum(ns->inum);
> }
>
> diff --git a/kernel/nsproxy.c b/kernel/nsproxy.c
> index 259c4b4f1eeb..f0b30d1907e7 100644
> --- a/kernel/nsproxy.c
> +++ b/kernel/nsproxy.c
> @@ -379,7 +379,13 @@ static int prepare_nsset(unsigned flags, struct nsset *nsset)
>
> static inline int validate_ns(struct nsset *nsset, struct ns_common *ns)
> {
> - return ns->ops->install(nsset, ns);
> + int ret;
> +
> + ret = ns->ops->install(nsset, ns);
> + if (ret)
> + return ret;
> +
> + return security_namespace_install(nsset, ns);
> }
>
> /*
> diff --git a/security/lsm_init.c b/security/lsm_init.c
> index 573e2a7250c4..637c2d65e131 100644
> --- a/security/lsm_init.c
> +++ b/security/lsm_init.c
> @@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ static void __init lsm_prepare(struct lsm_info *lsm)
> lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_ipc, &blob_sizes.lbs_ipc);
> lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_key, &blob_sizes.lbs_key);
> lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_msg_msg, &blob_sizes.lbs_msg_msg);
> + lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_ns, &blob_sizes.lbs_ns);
> lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_perf_event,
> &blob_sizes.lbs_perf_event);
> lsm_blob_size_update(&blobs->lbs_sock, &blob_sizes.lbs_sock);
> @@ -446,6 +447,7 @@ int __init security_init(void)
> lsm_pr("blob(ipc) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_ipc);
> lsm_pr("blob(key) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_key);
> lsm_pr("blob(msg_msg)_size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_msg_msg);
> + lsm_pr("blob(ns) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_ns);
> lsm_pr("blob(sock) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_sock);
> lsm_pr("blob(superblock) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_superblock);
> lsm_pr("blob(perf_event) size %d\n", blob_sizes.lbs_perf_event);
> diff --git a/security/security.c b/security/security.c
> index 67af9228c4e9..dcf073cac848 100644
> --- a/security/security.c
> +++ b/security/security.c
> @@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
> #include <linux/string.h>
> #include <linux/xattr.h>
> #include <linux/msg.h>
> +#include <linux/ns_common.h>
> #include <linux/overflow.h>
> #include <linux/perf_event.h>
> #include <linux/fs.h>
> @@ -355,6 +356,19 @@ static int lsm_superblock_alloc(struct super_block *sb)
> GFP_KERNEL);
> }
>
> +/**
> + * lsm_ns_alloc - allocate a composite namespace blob
> + * @ns: the namespace that needs a blob
> + *
> + * Allocate the namespace blob for all the modules
> + *
> + * Returns 0, or -ENOMEM if memory can't be allocated.
> + */
> +static int lsm_ns_alloc(struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + return lsm_blob_alloc(&ns->ns_security, blob_sizes.lbs_ns, GFP_KERNEL);
> +}
> +
> /**
> * lsm_fill_user_ctx - Fill a user space lsm_ctx structure
> * @uctx: a userspace LSM context to be filled
> @@ -3255,6 +3269,68 @@ int security_create_user_ns(const struct cred *cred)
> return call_int_hook(userns_create, cred);
> }
>
> +/**
> + * security_namespace_alloc() - Allocate LSM security data for a namespace
> + * @ns: the namespace being allocated
> + *
> + * Allocate and attach security data to the namespace. The namespace type
> + * is available via ns->ns_type, and the owning user namespace (if any)
> + * via ns->ops->owner(ns).
> + *
> + * Return: Returns 0 if successful, otherwise < 0 error code.
> + */
> +int security_namespace_alloc(struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + int rc;
> +
> + rc = lsm_ns_alloc(ns);
> + if (unlikely(rc))
> + return rc;
> +
> + rc = call_int_hook(namespace_alloc, ns);
> + if (unlikely(rc))
> + security_namespace_free(ns);
> +
> + return rc;
> +}
> +
> +/**
> + * security_namespace_free() - Release LSM security data from a namespace
> + * @ns: the namespace being freed
> + *
> + * Release security data attached to the namespace. Called before the
> + * namespace structure is freed.
> + *
> + * Note: The namespace may be freed via kfree_rcu(). LSMs must use
> + * RCU-safe freeing for any data that might be accessed by concurrent
> + * RCU readers.
> + */
> +void security_namespace_free(struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + if (!ns->ns_security)
> + return;
> +
> + call_void_hook(namespace_free, ns);
> +
> + kfree(ns->ns_security);
> + ns->ns_security = NULL;
> +}
> +
> +/**
> + * security_namespace_install() - Check permission to install a namespace
> + * @nsset: the target nsset being configured
> + * @ns: the namespace being installed
> + *
> + * Check permission before allowing a namespace to be installed into the
> + * process's set of namespaces via setns(2).
> + *
> + * Return: Returns 0 if permission is granted, otherwise < 0 error code.
> + */
> +int security_namespace_install(const struct nsset *nsset, struct ns_common *ns)
> +{
> + return call_int_hook(namespace_install, nsset, ns);
> +}
> +
> /**
> * security_ipc_permission() - Check if sysv ipc access is allowed
> * @ipcp: ipc permission structure
> --
> 2.53.0
>

Reviewed-by: Günther Noack <gnoack3000@gmail.com>