diff options
| author | Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu> | 2018-07-17 18:24:27 -0400 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu> | 2018-07-24 15:43:24 -0400 |
| commit | 39a8883a2b989d1d21bd8dd99f5557f0c5e89694 (patch) | |
| tree | 9e86c920e258b8ca73ffa3955cd82c6c1ee84cea /drivers/char/Kconfig | |
| parent | 3672476edaa0660eb833f54fa9edeb505417b75c (diff) | |
random: add a config option to trust the CPU's hwrng
This gives the user building their own kernel (or a Linux
distribution) the option of deciding whether or not to trust the CPU's
hardware random number generator (e.g., RDRAND for x86 CPU's) as being
correctly implemented and not having a back door introduced (perhaps
courtesy of a Nation State's law enforcement or intelligence
agencies).
This will prevent getrandom(2) from blocking, if there is a
willingness to trust the CPU manufacturer.
Signed-off-by: Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu>
Diffstat (limited to 'drivers/char/Kconfig')
| -rw-r--r-- | drivers/char/Kconfig | 14 |
1 files changed, 14 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/drivers/char/Kconfig b/drivers/char/Kconfig index 212f447938ae..ce277ee0a28a 100644 --- a/drivers/char/Kconfig +++ b/drivers/char/Kconfig @@ -554,3 +554,17 @@ config ADI endmenu +config RANDOM_TRUST_CPU + bool "Trust the CPU manufacturer to initialize Linux's CRNG" + depends on X86 || S390 || PPC + default n + help + Assume that CPU manufacturer (e.g., Intel or AMD for RDSEED or + RDRAND, IBM for the S390 and Power PC architectures) is trustworthy + for the purposes of initializing Linux's CRNG. Since this is not + something that can be independently audited, this amounts to trusting + that CPU manufacturer (perhaps with the insistence or mandate + of a Nation State's intelligence or law enforcement agencies) + has not installed a hidden back door to compromise the CPU's + random number generation facilities. + |