[PATCH v1 1/2] doc/admin-guide: note credentials consolidation under CAP_PERFMON

From: Alexey Budankov
Date: Mon Oct 19 2020 - 13:16:54 EST



Add note that starting from Linux v5.9 CAP_PERFMON Linux capability
is enough to conduct performance monitoring and observability using
perf_events API.

Signed-off-by: Alexey Budankov <alexey.budankov@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst | 13 ++++++++-----
1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
index 1307b5274a0f..57a65e27eeb9 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
@@ -84,11 +84,14 @@ 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.
+Prior Linux v5.9 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. Starting from Linux v5.9
+CAP_SYS_PTRACE capability is not required and CAP_PERFMON is enough to
+be provided for processes to make performance monitoring and observability
+operations.

Other capabilities being granted to unprivileged processes can
effectively enable capturing of additional data required for later
--
2.24.1