SRU request submitted to the Ubuntu kernel team mailing list for hirsute and
focal:
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2021-August/thread.html#122959
Changing status to 'In Progress' for hirsute and focal.
** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu Focal)
Status: New => In Progress
** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu Hirsute)
Status: New => In Progress
** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu Focal)
Assignee: Frank Heimes (fheimes) => Canonical Kernel Team
(canonical-kernel-team)
** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu Hirsute)
Assignee: Frank Heimes (fheimes) => Canonical Kernel Team
(canonical-kernel-team)
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1933173
Title:
[21.10 FEAT] KVM: Provide a secure guest indication
Status in Ubuntu on IBM z Systems:
Fix Committed
Status in linux package in Ubuntu:
Fix Committed
Status in linux source package in Focal:
In Progress
Status in linux source package in Hirsute:
In Progress
Status in linux source package in Impish:
Fix Committed
Bug description:
SRU Justification:
==================
[Impact]
* It is difficult for customers to identify if a KVM guest on s390x
runs in secure execution more or not. Hence several requests came up
that asked about providing a better indication.
* If the mode is not known, one may venture oneself into deceptive
security.
* Patches that allow a better indication via 'prot_virt_host' using
the sysfs firmware interface were added to upstream kernel 5.13.
* Secure execution was initially introduced in Ubuntu with focal /
20.04, hence this request to SRU.
[Fix]
* 37564ed834aca26993b77b9b2a0119ec1ba6e00c 37564ed834ac "s390/uv: add
prot virt guest/host indication files"
* df2e400e07ad53a582ee934ce8384479d5ddf48b df2e400e07ad "s390/uv: fix
prot virt host indication compilation"
[Test Case]
* A z15 or LinuxONE III LPAR is needed that runs KVM in secure
execution.
* Have a look for the 'prot_virt_host' key at the sysfs firmware
interface - '1' indicates that the ultravisor is active and that the
guest is running protected (in secure execution mode).
[Regression Potential]
* The patch is s390x specific and modifies file arch/s390/kernel/uv.c
only.
* An entirely new new function 'uv_is_prot_virt_guest' was added and
initialized and used in uv_info_init - hence the regression risk in
existing code is rather small.
* However, in case the initialization was done errornously the
indication might be wrong, maybe showing that the system is not
protected in the way it should be (wrong indication).
* More general code deficiencies in these two functions will be
largely indicated by the test compiles.
* But the code was already tested based on kernel 5.13 - and for SRU-
ing a cherry-pick of the patches was sufficient, hence the exact same
code as in 5.13 is used.
* Further tests of the SRU kernels (5.11 and 5.4) can be done based on
the test kernel available from the PPA (see below).
[Other]
* Patches are upstream accepted with since 5.13-rc1.
* Request was to add the patches to focal / 20.04.
* To avoid potential regressions on upgrades, the patches need to be added to
hirsute / 20.10, too.
__________
Provide an indication in the guest that it's running securely. Cannot
replace a real attestation and doesn't really provide additional
security (or could even create the false impression of security), but
has been frequently requested by customers.
Value: Usability, lower the effort to prepare and deploy secure
workloads.
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