diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/crypto/devel-algos.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/crypto/devel-algos.rst | 240 |
1 files changed, 240 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/crypto/devel-algos.rst b/Documentation/crypto/devel-algos.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..f225a953a --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/crypto/devel-algos.rst @@ -0,0 +1,240 @@ +Developing Cipher Algorithms +============================ + +Registering And Unregistering Transformation +-------------------------------------------- + +There are three distinct types of registration functions in the Crypto +API. One is used to register a generic cryptographic transformation, +while the other two are specific to HASH transformations and +COMPRESSion. We will discuss the latter two in a separate chapter, here +we will only look at the generic ones. + +Before discussing the register functions, the data structure to be +filled with each, struct crypto_alg, must be considered -- see below +for a description of this data structure. + +The generic registration functions can be found in +include/linux/crypto.h and their definition can be seen below. The +former function registers a single transformation, while the latter +works on an array of transformation descriptions. The latter is useful +when registering transformations in bulk, for example when a driver +implements multiple transformations. + +:: + + int crypto_register_alg(struct crypto_alg *alg); + int crypto_register_algs(struct crypto_alg *algs, int count); + + +The counterparts to those functions are listed below. + +:: + + void crypto_unregister_alg(struct crypto_alg *alg); + void crypto_unregister_algs(struct crypto_alg *algs, int count); + + +The registration functions return 0 on success, or a negative errno +value on failure. crypto_register_algs() succeeds only if it +successfully registered all the given algorithms; if it fails partway +through, then any changes are rolled back. + +The unregistration functions always succeed, so they don't have a +return value. Don't try to unregister algorithms that aren't +currently registered. + +Single-Block Symmetric Ciphers [CIPHER] +--------------------------------------- + +Example of transformations: aes, serpent, ... + +This section describes the simplest of all transformation +implementations, that being the CIPHER type used for symmetric ciphers. +The CIPHER type is used for transformations which operate on exactly one +block at a time and there are no dependencies between blocks at all. + +Registration specifics +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The registration of [CIPHER] algorithm is specific in that struct +crypto_alg field .cra_type is empty. The .cra_u.cipher has to be +filled in with proper callbacks to implement this transformation. + +See struct cipher_alg below. + +Cipher Definition With struct cipher_alg +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Struct cipher_alg defines a single block cipher. + +Here are schematics of how these functions are called when operated from +other part of the kernel. Note that the .cia_setkey() call might happen +before or after any of these schematics happen, but must not happen +during any of these are in-flight. + +:: + + KEY ---. PLAINTEXT ---. + v v + .cia_setkey() -> .cia_encrypt() + | + '-----> CIPHERTEXT + + +Please note that a pattern where .cia_setkey() is called multiple times +is also valid: + +:: + + + KEY1 --. PLAINTEXT1 --. KEY2 --. PLAINTEXT2 --. + v v v v + .cia_setkey() -> .cia_encrypt() -> .cia_setkey() -> .cia_encrypt() + | | + '---> CIPHERTEXT1 '---> CIPHERTEXT2 + + +Multi-Block Ciphers +------------------- + +Example of transformations: cbc(aes), chacha20, ... + +This section describes the multi-block cipher transformation +implementations. The multi-block ciphers are used for transformations +which operate on scatterlists of data supplied to the transformation +functions. They output the result into a scatterlist of data as well. + +Registration Specifics +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The registration of multi-block cipher algorithms is one of the most +standard procedures throughout the crypto API. + +Note, if a cipher implementation requires a proper alignment of data, +the caller should use the functions of crypto_skcipher_alignmask() to +identify a memory alignment mask. The kernel crypto API is able to +process requests that are unaligned. This implies, however, additional +overhead as the kernel crypto API needs to perform the realignment of +the data which may imply moving of data. + +Cipher Definition With struct skcipher_alg +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Struct skcipher_alg defines a multi-block cipher, or more generally, a +length-preserving symmetric cipher algorithm. + +Scatterlist handling +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Some drivers will want to use the Generic ScatterWalk in case the +hardware needs to be fed separate chunks of the scatterlist which +contains the plaintext and will contain the ciphertext. Please refer +to the ScatterWalk interface offered by the Linux kernel scatter / +gather list implementation. + +Hashing [HASH] +-------------- + +Example of transformations: crc32, md5, sha1, sha256,... + +Registering And Unregistering The Transformation +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +There are multiple ways to register a HASH transformation, depending on +whether the transformation is synchronous [SHASH] or asynchronous +[AHASH] and the amount of HASH transformations we are registering. You +can find the prototypes defined in include/crypto/internal/hash.h: + +:: + + int crypto_register_ahash(struct ahash_alg *alg); + + int crypto_register_shash(struct shash_alg *alg); + int crypto_register_shashes(struct shash_alg *algs, int count); + + +The respective counterparts for unregistering the HASH transformation +are as follows: + +:: + + void crypto_unregister_ahash(struct ahash_alg *alg); + + void crypto_unregister_shash(struct shash_alg *alg); + void crypto_unregister_shashes(struct shash_alg *algs, int count); + + +Cipher Definition With struct shash_alg and ahash_alg +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Here are schematics of how these functions are called when operated from +other part of the kernel. Note that the .setkey() call might happen +before or after any of these schematics happen, but must not happen +during any of these are in-flight. Please note that calling .init() +followed immediately by .finish() is also a perfectly valid +transformation. + +:: + + I) DATA -----------. + v + .init() -> .update() -> .final() ! .update() might not be called + ^ | | at all in this scenario. + '----' '---> HASH + + II) DATA -----------.-----------. + v v + .init() -> .update() -> .finup() ! .update() may not be called + ^ | | at all in this scenario. + '----' '---> HASH + + III) DATA -----------. + v + .digest() ! The entire process is handled + | by the .digest() call. + '---------------> HASH + + +Here is a schematic of how the .export()/.import() functions are called +when used from another part of the kernel. + +:: + + KEY--. DATA--. + v v ! .update() may not be called + .setkey() -> .init() -> .update() -> .export() at all in this scenario. + ^ | | + '-----' '--> PARTIAL_HASH + + ----------- other transformations happen here ----------- + + PARTIAL_HASH--. DATA1--. + v v + .import -> .update() -> .final() ! .update() may not be called + ^ | | at all in this scenario. + '----' '--> HASH1 + + PARTIAL_HASH--. DATA2-. + v v + .import -> .finup() + | + '---------------> HASH2 + +Note that it is perfectly legal to "abandon" a request object: +- call .init() and then (as many times) .update() +- _not_ call any of .final(), .finup() or .export() at any point in future + +In other words implementations should mind the resource allocation and clean-up. +No resources related to request objects should remain allocated after a call +to .init() or .update(), since there might be no chance to free them. + + +Specifics Of Asynchronous HASH Transformation +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Some of the drivers will want to use the Generic ScatterWalk in case the +implementation needs to be fed separate chunks of the scatterlist which +contains the input data. The buffer containing the resulting hash will +always be properly aligned to .cra_alignmask so there is no need to +worry about this. |