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From: Josef Bacik <josef@toxicpanda.com>
To: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>,
	 James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@HansenPartnership.com>,
	 Andrew Halaney <andrew@amutable.com>,
	Jeremy Bingham <jbingham@gmail.com>,
	 Tahera Fahimi <taherafahimi@linux.microsoft.com>,
	 Serge Hallyn <sergeh@kernel.org>
Cc: linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	 Josef Bacik <josef@toxicpanda.com>
Subject: [PATCH RFC v3 64/90] cells: add the "caps" slot
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:02:56 +0000	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20261105-b4-cells-v3-64-bc9095937a84@toxicpanda.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20261105-b4-cells-v3-0-bc9095937a84@toxicpanda.com>

The first task in a new user namespace has every capability, over
everything that the namespace owns. That puts a large amount of code that
was written for root within reach of every user. A container runtime then
spends its time taking most of those capabilities away again.

A cell only has what it is given, so start from the other end. Being uid 0
in a cell comes with no privilege. It is one id out of 65536. It cannot
switch to another id, give a file away, or signal a task that runs under
another id.

Let the builder name the capabilities that the tasks of the cell have. The
"caps" slot takes a __u64 with one bit per capability. An empty slot means
none.

The value is used as the bounding set as well as the initial permitted and
effective sets, so nothing in the cell can ever have more. Every task of a
cell has no_new_privs, so it gains nothing from a file, or from being uid
0 when it runs one. And no task of a cell can create a user namespace to
get a full set in.

Filling the slot requires no privilege. The capabilities apply to the user
namespace of the cell, so they cover its ids, its tasks and whatever else
that namespace owns. That is no more than anybody gets from
unshare(CLONE_NEWUSER).

CAP_SETFCAP is refused, because nothing that a cell writes may confer
privilege.

A task of a cell with a single id is not uid 0 in the cell, so it would
lose its capabilities as soon as it runs a program. The seal refuses
capabilities for such a cell instead of letting them disappear silently.

For reference: systemd 255 boots in a cell without any capability and runs
units that stay root. To run units as other users, give files and cgroups
to those users, and stop the units again, it needs CAP_SETUID, CAP_SETGID,
CAP_CHOWN, CAP_FOWNER, CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE and CAP_KILL.

Signed-off-by: Josef Bacik <josef@toxicpanda.com>
---
 kernel/cell/slots.c | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/cell/slots.c b/kernel/cell/slots.c
index 0a406422ce34..a96d2f262aa1 100644
--- a/kernel/cell/slots.c
+++ b/kernel/cell/slots.c
@@ -105,6 +105,28 @@ static int cell_set_ids_binary(struct cell *cell, const void __user *uvalue,
 	return cell_set_ids(cell, count);
 }
 
+/*
+ * The capabilities that the tasks of the cell start with, and can never have more
+ * than. They are over the user namespace of the cell, so they are good for what
+ * that owns and for the ids of the cell, which is why naming them takes nothing.
+ */
+static int cell_set_caps(struct cell *cell, const void __user *uvalue, size_t len)
+{
+	u64 caps;
+
+	if (len != sizeof(caps))
+		return -EINVAL;
+	if (copy_from_user(&caps, uvalue, sizeof(caps)))
+		return -EFAULT;
+	if (caps & ~CAP_VALID_MASK)
+		return -EINVAL;
+	/* Nothing a cell writes imparts privilege, so it writes no file capability. */
+	if (caps & BIT_ULL(CAP_SETFCAP))
+		return -EINVAL;
+	cell->caps.val = caps;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int cell_set_string(struct cell *cell, const char *key, const char *val)
 {
 	if (!strcmp(key, "hostname"))
@@ -117,6 +139,8 @@ static int cell_set_binary(struct cell *cell, const char *key,
 {
 	if (!strcmp(key, "ids"))
 		return cell_set_ids_binary(cell, uvalue, len);
+	if (!strcmp(key, "caps"))
+		return cell_set_caps(cell, uvalue, len);
 	return -EINVAL;
 }
 
@@ -163,6 +187,9 @@ static int cell_seal(struct cell *cell)
 		if (ret)
 			return ret;
 	}
+	/* Who is not uid 0 loses them as soon as it runs a program. */
+	if (cell->ids_count == 1 && !cap_isclear(cell->caps))
+		return -EINVAL;
 	ret = cell_make_pid_ns(cell);
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;

-- 
2.55.0


  parent reply	other threads:[~2026-11-05 15:23 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 93+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-11-05 14:56 [PATCH RFC v3 00/90] cells: a container as one kernel object Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 01/90] Documentation: add a design document for cells Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 17:06   ` Serge E. Hallyn
2026-11-05 18:23     ` Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 02/90] Documentation: add examples " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 03/90] cells: reserve a window of ids Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 04/90] user_namespace: let a cell own a user namespace Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 05/90] user_namespace: refuse setns() into a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 06/90] capability: give the owner no say over " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 07/90] ucount: count the id blocks a user holds Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:56 ` [PATCH RFC v3 08/90] user_namespace: let the kernel map the ids of a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 09/90] user_namespace: keep legacy maps out of the window Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 10/90] user: add uid_range_in_use() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 11/90] keys: add key_user_range_in_use() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 12/90] fs: add kuid_has_fsmapping() and kgid_has_fsmapping() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 13/90] fs: never store an id that was lent to a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 14/90] fs: take no id of a cell for a mount option Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 15/90] fs: let an idmapping pin the ids of a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 16/90] cgroup: let a cgroup become the budget " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 17/90] cgroup: add cgroup_cell_chown() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 18/90] cgroup: give the budget of a cell back Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 19/90] cgroup: add cgroup_cell_kill() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 20/90] cgroup: root a cgroup namespace at a given cgroup Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 21/90] fs: seal a mount namespace for a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 22/90] nsfs: make open_namespace() available outside of fs/ Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 14:57 ` [PATCH RFC v3 23/90] nsproxy: build the nsproxy the tasks of a cell share Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 24/90] cells: add the cell object and cell_create() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 25/90] cells: add cell_kill() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 26/90] cells: add cell_configure() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 27/90] cells: add the "budget" slot Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 28/90] cells: add the "root" slot Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 29/90] cells: add the "ids" slot, for a single id Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 30/90] cells: lend a cell a block of ids Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 31/90] cells: reserve the "spawn" slot Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 32/90] cells: add CELL_CMD_SEAL Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 33/90] cells: add cell_open() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 34/90] pid: allocate a struct pid ahead of its numbers Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 35/90] fork: let copy_process() place a task in a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 36/90] cgroup: fork a task of a cell into the budget Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 37/90] x86: give a task without an mm no user state Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 38/90] uprobes: cope with a new task that has no mm Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 39/90] fork: add tasks that start out with nothing Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 40/90] pidfd: add PIDFD_EMPTY Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 41/90] pidfd: add pidfd_configure() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 42/90] pidfd: let pidfd_configure() place files Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 43/90] pidfd: let pidfd_configure() set credentials Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 44/90] pidfd: let pidfd_configure() name a cgroup to start in Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 45/90] ptrace: keep everybody off an embryo Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 46/90] cells: end a cell when its init exits Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 47/90] cells: refuse a task of a cell a change of namespaces Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 48/90] fs: refuse a task of a cell a new mount namespace Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 49/90] nsproxy: refuse to enter a namespace of a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 50/90] cgroup: keep a task of a cell within the budget Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 51/90] cgroup: let nothing but a spawn into a budget Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 52/90] kernfs: let a filesystem refuse a change to a node Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 53/90] cgroup: let a cell change nothing outside its budget Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 54/90] cgroup: leave the limits of a budget to who is above Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 55/90] fs: let a filesystem hold ids that go with the cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 56/90] cgroup: let a cell make cgroups below its budget Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 57/90] resctrl: let a cell change nothing Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 58/90] cred: let no id count across cells Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 59/90] ptrace: refuse PTRACE_TRACEME " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 60/90] keys: ignore an equal uid or gid " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 61/90] fs: accept a cellfd for MOUNT_ATTR_IDMAP Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 62/90] fs: let a cell set no set-id bits Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 63/90] fs: drop privileges from what a cell may write to Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` Josef Bacik [this message]
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 65/90] capabilities: take nothing from a file in a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 66/90] capabilities: let a cell shrink its bounding sets Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:02 ` [PATCH RFC v3 67/90] af_unix: deliver ancillary data only within a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 68/90] af_unix: tell a sender that control data will not cross Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 69/90] net: do not identify a peer in another cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 70/90] seccomp: let a listener put no file into a cell Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 71/90] umh: run no program for a task of " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 72/90] coredump: let no core dump leave " Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 73/90] cells: add the "net" slot Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 74/90] net: give a cell without a network no sockets Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 75/90] net: add net_may() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 76/90] rtnetlink: use net_may() for requests that change state Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 77/90] net: use net_may() in the configuration ioctls Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 78/90] netfilter: use net_may() for configuration Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 79/90] tun: use net_may() to create and attach to devices Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 80/90] net: use net_may() for the net sysctls Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 81/90] net: use net_may() for privileged socket options Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 82/90] net: use net_may() for raw and packet sockets Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 83/90] cells: add the "net-rights" slot Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 84/90] net: honour the rights of a cell in net_may() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 85/90] tun: ignore an equal uid or gid across cells Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 86/90] cells: add cell_info() Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 87/90] cells: add CONFIG_CELLS Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 88/90] arch: wire up the cell system calls Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 89/90] MAINTAINERS: add an entry for cells Josef Bacik
2026-11-05 15:03 ` [PATCH RFC v3 90/90] selftests: add tests " Josef Bacik

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