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diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..1307b5274 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst @@ -0,0 +1,266 @@ +.. _perf_security: + +Perf events and tool security +============================= + +Overview +-------- + +Usage of Performance Counters for Linux (perf_events) [1]_ , [2]_ , [3]_ +can impose a considerable risk of leaking sensitive data accessed by +monitored processes. The data leakage is possible both in scenarios of +direct usage of perf_events system call API [2]_ and over data files +generated by Perf tool user mode utility (Perf) [3]_ , [4]_ . The risk +depends on the nature of data that perf_events performance monitoring +units (PMU) [2]_ and Perf collect and expose for performance analysis. +Collected system and performance data may be split into several +categories: + +1. System hardware and software configuration data, for example: a CPU + model and its cache configuration, an amount of available memory and + its topology, used kernel and Perf versions, performance monitoring + setup including experiment time, events configuration, Perf command + line parameters, etc. + +2. User and kernel module paths and their load addresses with sizes, + process and thread names with their PIDs and TIDs, timestamps for + captured hardware and software events. + +3. Content of kernel software counters (e.g., for context switches, page + faults, CPU migrations), architectural hardware performance counters + (PMC) [8]_ and machine specific registers (MSR) [9]_ that provide + execution metrics for various monitored parts of the system (e.g., + memory controller (IMC), interconnect (QPI/UPI) or peripheral (PCIe) + uncore counters) without direct attribution to any execution context + state. + +4. Content of architectural execution context registers (e.g., RIP, RSP, + RBP on x86_64), process user and kernel space memory addresses and + data, content of various architectural MSRs that capture data from + this category. + +Data that belong to the fourth category can potentially contain +sensitive process data. If PMUs in some monitoring modes capture values +of execution context registers or data from process memory then access +to such monitoring modes requires to be ordered and secured properly. +So, perf_events performance monitoring and observability operations are +the subject for security access control management [5]_ . + +perf_events access control +------------------------------- + +To perform security checks, the Linux implementation splits processes +into two categories [6]_ : a) privileged processes (whose effective user +ID is 0, referred to as superuser or root), and b) unprivileged +processes (whose effective UID is nonzero). Privileged processes bypass +all kernel security permission checks so perf_events performance +monitoring is fully available to privileged processes without access, +scope and resource restrictions. + +Unprivileged processes are subject to a full security permission check +based on the process's credentials [5]_ (usually: effective UID, +effective GID, and supplementary group list). + +Linux divides the privileges traditionally associated with superuser +into distinct units, known as capabilities [6]_ , which can be +independently enabled and disabled on per-thread basis for processes and +files of unprivileged users. + +Unprivileged processes with enabled CAP_PERFMON capability are treated +as privileged processes with respect to perf_events performance +monitoring and observability operations, thus, bypass *scope* permissions +checks in the kernel. CAP_PERFMON implements the principle of least +privilege [13]_ (POSIX 1003.1e: 2.2.2.39) for performance monitoring and +observability operations in the kernel and provides a secure approach to +perfomance monitoring and observability in the system. + +For backward compatibility reasons the access to perf_events monitoring and +observability operations is also open for CAP_SYS_ADMIN privileged +processes but CAP_SYS_ADMIN usage for secure monitoring and observability +use cases is discouraged with respect to the CAP_PERFMON capability. +If system audit records [14]_ for a process using perf_events system call +API contain denial records of acquiring both CAP_PERFMON and CAP_SYS_ADMIN +capabilities then providing the process with CAP_PERFMON capability singly +is recommended as the preferred secure approach to resolve double access +denial logging related to usage of performance monitoring and observability. + +Unprivileged processes using perf_events system call are also subject +for PTRACE_MODE_READ_REALCREDS ptrace access mode check [7]_ , whose +outcome determines whether monitoring is permitted. So unprivileged +processes provided with CAP_SYS_PTRACE capability are effectively +permitted to pass the check. + +Other capabilities being granted to unprivileged processes can +effectively enable capturing of additional data required for later +performance analysis of monitored processes or a system. For example, +CAP_SYSLOG capability permits reading kernel space memory addresses from +/proc/kallsyms file. + +Privileged Perf users groups +--------------------------------- + +Mechanisms of capabilities, privileged capability-dumb files [6]_ and +file system ACLs [10]_ can be used to create dedicated groups of +privileged Perf users who are permitted to execute performance monitoring +and observability without scope limits. The following steps can be +taken to create such groups of privileged Perf users. + +1. Create perf_users group of privileged Perf users, assign perf_users + group to Perf tool executable and limit access to the executable for + other users in the system who are not in the perf_users group: + +:: + + # groupadd perf_users + # ls -alhF + -rwxr-xr-x 2 root root 11M Oct 19 15:12 perf + # chgrp perf_users perf + # ls -alhF + -rwxr-xr-x 2 root perf_users 11M Oct 19 15:12 perf + # chmod o-rwx perf + # ls -alhF + -rwxr-x--- 2 root perf_users 11M Oct 19 15:12 perf + +2. Assign the required capabilities to the Perf tool executable file and + enable members of perf_users group with monitoring and observability + privileges [6]_ : + +:: + + # setcap "cap_perfmon,cap_sys_ptrace,cap_syslog=ep" perf + # setcap -v "cap_perfmon,cap_sys_ptrace,cap_syslog=ep" perf + perf: OK + # getcap perf + perf = cap_sys_ptrace,cap_syslog,cap_perfmon+ep + +If the libcap installed doesn't yet support "cap_perfmon", use "38" instead, +i.e.: + +:: + + # setcap "38,cap_ipc_lock,cap_sys_ptrace,cap_syslog=ep" perf + +Note that you may need to have 'cap_ipc_lock' in the mix for tools such as +'perf top', alternatively use 'perf top -m N', to reduce the memory that +it uses for the perf ring buffer, see the memory allocation section below. + +Using a libcap without support for CAP_PERFMON will make cap_get_flag(caps, 38, +CAP_EFFECTIVE, &val) fail, which will lead the default event to be 'cycles:u', +so as a workaround explicitly ask for the 'cycles' event, i.e.: + +:: + + # perf top -e cycles + +To get kernel and user samples with a perf binary with just CAP_PERFMON. + +As a result, members of perf_users group are capable of conducting +performance monitoring and observability by using functionality of the +configured Perf tool executable that, when executes, passes perf_events +subsystem scope checks. + +This specific access control management is only available to superuser +or root running processes with CAP_SETPCAP, CAP_SETFCAP [6]_ +capabilities. + +Unprivileged users +----------------------------------- + +perf_events *scope* and *access* control for unprivileged processes +is governed by perf_event_paranoid [2]_ setting: + +-1: + Impose no *scope* and *access* restrictions on using perf_events + performance monitoring. Per-user per-cpu perf_event_mlock_kb [2]_ + locking limit is ignored when allocating memory buffers for storing + performance data. This is the least secure mode since allowed + monitored *scope* is maximized and no perf_events specific limits + are imposed on *resources* allocated for performance monitoring. + +>=0: + *scope* includes per-process and system wide performance monitoring + but excludes raw tracepoints and ftrace function tracepoints + monitoring. CPU and system events happened when executing either in + user or in kernel space can be monitored and captured for later + analysis. Per-user per-cpu perf_event_mlock_kb locking limit is + imposed but ignored for unprivileged processes with CAP_IPC_LOCK + [6]_ capability. + +>=1: + *scope* includes per-process performance monitoring only and + excludes system wide performance monitoring. CPU and system events + happened when executing either in user or in kernel space can be + monitored and captured for later analysis. Per-user per-cpu + perf_event_mlock_kb locking limit is imposed but ignored for + unprivileged processes with CAP_IPC_LOCK capability. + +>=2: + *scope* includes per-process performance monitoring only. CPU and + system events happened when executing in user space only can be + monitored and captured for later analysis. Per-user per-cpu + perf_event_mlock_kb locking limit is imposed but ignored for + unprivileged processes with CAP_IPC_LOCK capability. + +Resource control +--------------------------------- + +Open file descriptors ++++++++++++++++++++++ + +The perf_events system call API [2]_ allocates file descriptors for +every configured PMU event. Open file descriptors are a per-process +accountable resource governed by the RLIMIT_NOFILE [11]_ limit +(ulimit -n), which is usually derived from the login shell process. When +configuring Perf collection for a long list of events on a large server +system, this limit can be easily hit preventing required monitoring +configuration. RLIMIT_NOFILE limit can be increased on per-user basis +modifying content of the limits.conf file [12]_ . Ordinarily, a Perf +sampling session (perf record) requires an amount of open perf_event +file descriptors that is not less than the number of monitored events +multiplied by the number of monitored CPUs. + +Memory allocation ++++++++++++++++++ + +The amount of memory available to user processes for capturing +performance monitoring data is governed by the perf_event_mlock_kb [2]_ +setting. This perf_event specific resource setting defines overall +per-cpu limits of memory allowed for mapping by the user processes to +execute performance monitoring. The setting essentially extends the +RLIMIT_MEMLOCK [11]_ limit, but only for memory regions mapped +specifically for capturing monitored performance events and related data. + +For example, if a machine has eight cores and perf_event_mlock_kb limit +is set to 516 KiB, then a user process is provided with 516 KiB * 8 = +4128 KiB of memory above the RLIMIT_MEMLOCK limit (ulimit -l) for +perf_event mmap buffers. In particular, this means that, if the user +wants to start two or more performance monitoring processes, the user is +required to manually distribute the available 4128 KiB between the +monitoring processes, for example, using the --mmap-pages Perf record +mode option. Otherwise, the first started performance monitoring process +allocates all available 4128 KiB and the other processes will fail to +proceed due to the lack of memory. + +RLIMIT_MEMLOCK and perf_event_mlock_kb resource constraints are ignored +for processes with the CAP_IPC_LOCK capability. Thus, perf_events/Perf +privileged users can be provided with memory above the constraints for +perf_events/Perf performance monitoring purpose by providing the Perf +executable with CAP_IPC_LOCK capability. + +Bibliography +------------ + +.. [1] `<https://lwn.net/Articles/337493/>`_ +.. [2] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/perf_event_open.2.html>`_ +.. [3] `<http://web.eece.maine.edu/~vweaver/projects/perf_events/>`_ +.. [4] `<https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page>`_ +.. [5] `<https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/security/credentials.html>`_ +.. [6] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/capabilities.7.html>`_ +.. [7] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/ptrace.2.html>`_ +.. [8] `<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_performance_counter>`_ +.. [9] `<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-specific_register>`_ +.. [10] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/acl.5.html>`_ +.. [11] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/getrlimit.2.html>`_ +.. [12] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/limits.conf.5.html>`_ +.. [13] `<https://sites.google.com/site/fullycapable>`_ +.. [14] `<http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/auditd.8.html>`_ |