[U-Boot] Using CONFIG_ENV_FLAGS_LIST

[AKASHI Takahiro]

On Mon, Sep 09, 2019 at 02:04:50PM +0200, Lukasz Majewski wrote:
> Hi Claudius,
> 
> > Hi Lukasz,
> > 
> > On 07/09/2019 00.23, Lukasz Majewski wrote:
> > > Hi Claudius,
> > >   
> > >> Hi,
> > >>
> > >> I am currently looking into variable flags in order to make some
> > >> variables read-only for secure boot.
> > >>
> > >> The idea is that the u-boot binary is signed, while the environment
> > >> file/partition is not. So the built-in default environment of
> > >> u-boot can be trusted, while the external environment cannot. The
> > >> assumption is that those flags can be used to customize the
> > >> validation when the external environment is loaded or
> > >> scripts/commands are executed.
> > >>
> > >> From the '/README' I gather that the access attributes can be any
> > >> of "any", "read-only", "write-once" or "change-default".
> > >>
> > >> I first tried to restrict the variables by choosing 'read-only',
> > >> but apparently this applies to the internal environment as well,
> > >> and now those variables are not loaded from the internal
> > >> environment.
> > >>
> > >> Then I tried 'write-once', this worked now as expected from within
> > >> u-boot, but I could modify the environment from the linux userspace
> > >> via fw_setenv and those changes appear in u-boot as well. The same
> > >> for 'change-default'.
> > >>
> > >> Is there another way to fill the internal environment variable hash
> > >> table, so that 'read-only' works as expected?
> > >>
> > >> Heiko wrote some patches that change the behavior of the
> > >> environment loading so that the internal environment is loaded
> > >> first before the external environment. This way 'write-once'
> > >> should work as expected, but I think 'read-only' should work that
> > >> way already and we are missing something here.  
> > > 
> > > I think that Wolfgang had a long discussion with Takahiro AKASHI
> > > (both CC'ed) about similar problem with u-boot envs.  
> > 
> > Were there any conclusions here?
> 
> I don't know if there was any conclusion (or patches).

No. As a matter of fact, I gave up my idea of modifying flags
(attributes) features of U-Boot environment.

> > 
> > For me this 'flags' feature looks more and more like its was not build
> > to save guard the loading from unsigned and untrusted external
> > environments. I think what we would need here is some sort of variable
> > whitelist with some additional checks (type and size), but still allow
> > the u-boot scripts and commands to modify the variables in the hash
> > table (for filesize, ipaddr etc.) at boot time.
> 
> 
> Maybe Takahiro could shed some light on his work and you could discuss
> if your both work could be aligned?

Instead, I'm proposing 'multiple contexts' to be allowed for U-Boot
environment[1]. The idea here is that we may have separated backing
storage areas, for different variable domains with different needs
in U-Boot environment.
For example, in my implementation of UEFI variables,
one for volatile (non-persistent) variables and
another for non-volatile (persistent and auto-saved) variables.
(Please note that a context is allowed *not* to have any backing storage.)

while I'm not sure yet exactly what Claudius's requirement is,
please take a look at my patch below and find out if my work will
fit your expectation.

[1] https://lists.denx.de/pipermail/u-boot/2019-September/382835.html

Thanks,
-Takahiro Akashi

> 
> > 
> > regards,
> > Claudius
> > 
> > > 
> > > For example:
> > > https://patchwork.ozlabs.org/patch/1158770/
> > >   
> > >>
> > >> Thanks,
> > >> Claudius
> > >>  
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Best regards,
> > > 
> > > Lukasz Majewski
> > > 
> > > --
> > > 
> > > DENX Software Engineering GmbH,      Managing Director: Wolfgang
> > > Denk HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell,
> > > Germany Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-59 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email:
> > > lukma at denx.de 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Lukasz Majewski
> 
> --
> 
> DENX Software Engineering GmbH,      Managing Director: Wolfgang Denk
> HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
> Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-59 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: lukma at denx.de