diff mbox

Use memzero_explicit to clear local buffers

Message ID 1420394744-20268-1-git-send-email-me@mortis.eu (mailing list archive)
State New, archived
Headers show

Commit Message

Giel van Schijndel Jan. 4, 2015, 6:05 p.m. UTC
When leaving a function use memzero_explicit instead of memset(0) to
clear locally allocated/owned buffers. memset(0) may be optimized away.

All of the affected buffers contain sensitive data, key material or
derivatives of one of those two.
---
 arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c | 2 +-
 drivers/usb/wusbcore/security.c     | 2 +-
 fs/cifs/smbencrypt.c                | 2 +-
 3 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

Comments

Herbert Xu Jan. 4, 2015, 9:35 p.m. UTC | #1
On Sun, Jan 04, 2015 at 07:05:40PM +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
> When leaving a function use memzero_explicit instead of memset(0) to
> clear locally allocated/owned buffers. memset(0) may be optimized away.
> 
> All of the affected buffers contain sensitive data, key material or
> derivatives of one of those two.

Nack.
 
> diff --git a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
> index 8fad72f..b616e63 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
> @@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ static int sha256_ssse3_final(struct shash_desc *desc, u8 *out)
>  		dst[i] = cpu_to_be32(sctx->state[i]);
>  
>  	/* Wipe context */
> -	memset(sctx, 0, sizeof(*sctx));
> +	memzero_explicit(sctx, sizeof(*sctx));

sctx does not point to stack memory so this is bogus.

Only stack memory cleared just before it goes out of scope needs
memzero_explicit.

Cheers,
Giel van Schijndel Jan. 4, 2015, 10:49 p.m. UTC | #2
On Mon, Jan 05, 2015 at 08:35:38 +1100, Herbert Xu wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 04, 2015 at 07:05:40PM +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
>> When leaving a function use memzero_explicit instead of memset(0) to
>> clear locally allocated/owned buffers. memset(0) may be optimized away.
>> 
>> All of the affected buffers contain sensitive data, key material or
>> derivatives of one of those two.
> 
> Nack.

Do you mean that the sample below doesn't contain sensitive data?
Or is there another buffer(s) in my patch that you believe doesn't
contain that?

(I contain a hash derived from secret material to be a "derivative of one of
those two", leaking of which could lead to a confirmation-attack).

>> diff --git a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
>> index 8fad72f..b616e63 100644
>> --- a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
>> +++ b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
>> @@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ static int sha256_ssse3_final(struct shash_desc *desc, u8 *out)
>>  		dst[i] = cpu_to_be32(sctx->state[i]);
>>  
>>  	/* Wipe context */
>> -	memset(sctx, 0, sizeof(*sctx));
>> +	memzero_explicit(sctx, sizeof(*sctx));
> 
> sctx does not point to stack memory so this is bogus.
> 
> Only stack memory cleared just before it goes out of scope needs
> memzero_explicit.

Is that because the compiler can't safely optimize memset(0) away for a
variable with greater-than-local scope?

Because I think using memzero_explicit() as an indicator that said
buffer contains data that really *needs* to be destroyed is enough of a
reason already. I believe any overhead is negligable because there's
only a single extra call involved and that's cheap for the extra clarity
it buys (i.e. "this piece of memory *really* needs to be destroyed
beyond this statement"). (Though this approach is only valid for memory
that can contain security-sensitive data IMO.)
Giel van Schijndel Jan. 4, 2015, 11:05 p.m. UTC | #3
On Sun, Jan 04, 2015 at 19:05:40 +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
> When leaving a function use memzero_explicit instead of memset(0) to
> clear locally allocated/owned buffers. memset(0) may be optimized away.
> 
> All of the affected buffers contain sensitive data, key material or
> derivatives of one of those two.
> ---

Forgot to:
Signed-off-by: Giel van Schijndel <me@mortis.eu>
Herbert Xu Jan. 4, 2015, 11:36 p.m. UTC | #4
On Sun, Jan 04, 2015 at 11:49:09PM +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
>
> > sctx does not point to stack memory so this is bogus.
> > 
> > Only stack memory cleared just before it goes out of scope needs
> > memzero_explicit.
> 
> Is that because the compiler can't safely optimize memset(0) away for a
> variable with greater-than-local scope?

Exactly.  memzero_explicit is not a marker for sensitive data.
Its only purpose is to prevent the compiler from optimising away
zeroing that occurs at the end of a scope.

Daniel, we should add a comment so that people stop sending bogus
patches with memzero_explicit.

Cheers,
Giel van Schijndel Jan. 6, 2015, 7:42 p.m. UTC | #5
On Mon, Jan 05, 2015 at 10:36:37 +1100, Herbert Xu wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 04, 2015 at 11:49:09PM +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
>>
>>> sctx does not point to stack memory so this is bogus.
>>> 
>>> Only stack memory cleared just before it goes out of scope needs
>>> memzero_explicit.
>> 
>> Is that because the compiler can't safely optimize memset(0) away for a
>> variable with greater-than-local scope?
> 
> Exactly.  memzero_explicit is not a marker for sensitive data.
> Its only purpose is to prevent the compiler from optimising away
> zeroing that occurs at the end of a scope.

Question: are you sure the compiler won't optimize the call to memset(0)
way if it's immediately followed by kfree()?

Because one of my changes concerns that situation.

Another actually does change a stack-allocated buffer, I'll split that
one off right away.
Herbert Xu Jan. 6, 2015, 8:54 p.m. UTC | #6
On Tue, Jan 06, 2015 at 08:42:26PM +0100, Giel van Schijndel wrote:
> 
> Question: are you sure the compiler won't optimize the call to memset(0)
> way if it's immediately followed by kfree()?

Yes it won't be optimised away.  However, you could use kzfree.

> Another actually does change a stack-allocated buffer, I'll split that
> one off right away.

OK.

Thanks,
diff mbox

Patch

diff --git a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
index 8fad72f..b616e63 100644
--- a/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
+++ b/arch/x86/crypto/sha256_ssse3_glue.c
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@  static int sha256_ssse3_final(struct shash_desc *desc, u8 *out)
 		dst[i] = cpu_to_be32(sctx->state[i]);
 
 	/* Wipe context */
-	memset(sctx, 0, sizeof(*sctx));
+	memzero_explicit(sctx, sizeof(*sctx));
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/usb/wusbcore/security.c b/drivers/usb/wusbcore/security.c
index b66faaf..a25f4fe 100644
--- a/drivers/usb/wusbcore/security.c
+++ b/drivers/usb/wusbcore/security.c
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@  error_wusbhc_set_ptk:
 error_hs3:
 error_hs2:
 error_hs1:
-	memset(hs, 0, 3*sizeof(hs[0]));
+	memzero_explicit(hs, 3*sizeof(hs[0]));
 	memzero_explicit(&keydvt_out, sizeof(keydvt_out));
 	memzero_explicit(&keydvt_in, sizeof(keydvt_in));
 	memzero_explicit(&ccm_n, sizeof(ccm_n));
diff --git a/fs/cifs/smbencrypt.c b/fs/cifs/smbencrypt.c
index 6c15663..a4232ec 100644
--- a/fs/cifs/smbencrypt.c
+++ b/fs/cifs/smbencrypt.c
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@  E_md4hash(const unsigned char *passwd, unsigned char *p16,
 	}
 
 	rc = mdfour(p16, (unsigned char *) wpwd, len * sizeof(__le16));
-	memset(wpwd, 0, 129 * sizeof(__le16));
+	memzero_explicit(wpwd, sizeof(wpwd));
 
 	return rc;
 }