aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/Documentation/security/keys.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/security/keys.txt')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/security/keys.txt31
1 files changed, 30 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/security/keys.txt b/Documentation/security/keys.txt
index 787717091421..aa0dbd74b71b 100644
--- a/Documentation/security/keys.txt
+++ b/Documentation/security/keys.txt
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ KEY SERVICE OVERVIEW
The key service provides a number of features besides keys:
- (*) The key service defines two special key types:
+ (*) The key service defines three special key types:
(+) "keyring"
@@ -137,6 +137,18 @@ The key service provides a number of features besides keys:
blobs of data. These can be created, updated and read by userspace,
and aren't intended for use by kernel services.
+ (+) "logon"
+
+ Like a "user" key, a "logon" key has a payload that is an arbitrary
+ blob of data. It is intended as a place to store secrets which are
+ accessible to the kernel but not to userspace programs.
+
+ The description can be arbitrary, but must be prefixed with a non-zero
+ length string that describes the key "subclass". The subclass is
+ separated from the rest of the description by a ':'. "logon" keys can
+ be created and updated from userspace, but the payload is only
+ readable from kernel space.
+
(*) Each process subscribes to three keyrings: a thread-specific keyring, a
process-specific keyring, and a session-specific keyring.
@@ -793,6 +805,23 @@ The keyctl syscall functions are:
kernel and resumes executing userspace.
+ (*) Invalidate a key.
+
+ long keyctl(KEYCTL_INVALIDATE, key_serial_t key);
+
+ This function marks a key as being invalidated and then wakes up the
+ garbage collector. The garbage collector immediately removes invalidated
+ keys from all keyrings and deletes the key when its reference count
+ reaches zero.
+
+ Keys that are marked invalidated become invisible to normal key operations
+ immediately, though they are still visible in /proc/keys until deleted
+ (they're marked with an 'i' flag).
+
+ A process must have search permission on the key for this function to be
+ successful.
+
+
===============
KERNEL SERVICES
===============