namei: LOOKUP_NO_SYMLINKS: block symlink resolution
/* Background. */
Userspace cannot easily resolve a path without resolving symlinks, and
would have to manually resolve each path component with O_PATH and
O_NOFOLLOW. This is clearly inefficient, and can be fairly easy to screw
up (resulting in possible security bugs). Linus has mentioned that Git
has a particular need for this kind of flag[1]. It also resolves a
fairly long-standing perceived deficiency in O_NOFOLLOw -- that it only
blocks the opening of trailing symlinks.
This is part of a refresh of Al's AT_NO_JUMPS patchset[2] (which was a
variation on David Drysdale's O_BENEATH patchset[3], which in turn was
based on the Capsicum project[4]).
/* Userspace API. */
LOOKUP_NO_SYMLINKS will be exposed to userspace through openat2(2).
/* Semantics. */
Unlike most other LOOKUP flags (most notably LOOKUP_FOLLOW),
LOOKUP_NO_SYMLINKS applies to all components of the path.
With LOOKUP_NO_SYMLINKS, any symlink path component encountered during
path resolution will yield -ELOOP. If the trailing component is a
symlink (and no other components were symlinks), then O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW
will not error out and will instead provide a handle to the trailing
symlink -- without resolving it.
/* Testing. */
LOOKUP_NO_SYMLINKS is tested as part of the openat2(2) selftests.
[1]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFyOKM7DW7+0sdDFKdZFXgptb5r1id9=Wvhd8AgSP7qjwQ@mail.gmail.com/
[2]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20170429220414.GT29622@ZenIV.linux.org.uk/
[3]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/1415094884-18349-1-git-send-email-drysdale@google.com/
[4]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/1404124096-21445-1-git-send-email-drysdale@google.com/
Cc: Christian Brauner <christian.brauner@ubuntu.com>
Suggested-by: Al Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>
Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Aleksa Sarai <cyphar@cyphar.com>
Signed-off-by: Al Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>
2 files changed