FIPS kernels should default to fips mode

Bug #2049082 reported by Dimitri John Ledkov
8
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

[ Impact ]

 * Ubuntu builds regular kernels without FIPS configuration enabled at compile time
 * Canonical also builds FIPS kernels with FIPS configuration enabled at compile time, intended to only be used in FIPS mode
 * Currently, due to upstream patches, this thus requires additional runtime configuration of bootloader to always specify `fips=1` to turn on FIPS mode at runtime, as it is off by default
 * This adds additional complexity when performing autopkgtests, creating Ubuntu Core images, switching to/from Pro FIPS, drafting and verify security policy
 * Instead all of this can be avoided, if fips=1 is the implicit default for the FIPS kernels.
 * This has no effect on regular kernels

[ Test Plan ]

 * generic kernel build should have no effect / no changes, as dead code is patched. I.e. /proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled not present

 * fips kernel build should have the following content in the /proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled file:
   + without any fips= setting fips_enabled should be set to 1 (new behaviour)
   + with fips=1 setting fips_enabled should be set to 1 (double check existing behaviour)
   + with fips=0 setting fips_enabled should be set to 0 (double check existing behaviour)

 * pro client can continue to set fips=1, just in case, as older certified fips kernels still require this setting.

[ Where problems could occur ]

 * Some 3rd party tools do not consult /proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled and rely on access to the kernel cmdline "fips=1", they are wrong, but also there is no current intention to break any such users, as pro client will continue to set fips=1 for now.

[ Other Info ]

 * Intention is to land this for noble; for the future noble fips kernels. FIPS Updates kernels, if at all possible.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 6.8.0-11.11

---------------
linux (6.8.0-11.11) noble; urgency=medium

  * noble/linux: 6.8.0-11.11 -proposed tracker (LP: #2053094)

  * Miscellaneous Ubuntu changes
    - [Packaging] riscv64: disable building unnecessary binary debs

 -- Paolo Pisati <email address hidden> Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:04:31 +0100

Changed in linux (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Ubuntu Kernel Bot (ubuntu-kernel-bot) wrote :

This bug is awaiting verification that the linux-nvidia-6.8/6.8.0-1006.6~22.04.2 kernel in -proposed solves the problem. Please test the kernel and update this bug with the results. If the problem is solved, change the tag 'verification-needed-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8' to 'verification-done-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8'. If the problem still exists, change the tag 'verification-needed-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8' to 'verification-failed-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8'.

If verification is not done by 5 working days from today, this fix will be dropped from the source code, and this bug will be closed.

See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you!

tags: added: kernel-spammed-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8-v2 verification-needed-jammy-linux-nvidia-6.8
Revision history for this message
Ubuntu Kernel Bot (ubuntu-kernel-bot) wrote :

This bug is awaiting verification that the linux-gke/6.8.0-1004.7 kernel in -proposed solves the problem. Please test the kernel and update this bug with the results. If the problem is solved, change the tag 'verification-needed-noble-linux-gke' to 'verification-done-noble-linux-gke'. If the problem still exists, change the tag 'verification-needed-noble-linux-gke' to 'verification-failed-noble-linux-gke'.

If verification is not done by 5 working days from today, this fix will be dropped from the source code, and this bug will be closed.

See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you!

tags: added: kernel-spammed-noble-linux-gke-v2 verification-needed-noble-linux-gke
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