mctpd: Allow mctpd to manage its capabilities.

Added the set_cap() function to mctpd, allowing the process to drop
CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE when it is no longer needed. This requires libcap
on the target device. If libcap is missing drop_bind_cap() will be a
stub, and mctpd will emit a warning when it starts.

Because mctpd requires additional capabilities and may recieve hostile
inputs, dropping the capability when it is no longer needed is useful to
increase safety.

libcap has been added as a possible dependency to the meson build and
mcpd now uses the MCTPD_MANAGING_CAPABILITIES macro to determine if
libcap is available.

mctpd.md has been updated to reflect the new capability management.

Signed-off-by: James Lee <james@codeconstruct.com.au>

Author: SafetyInObscurity

docs/mctpd.md

@@ -503,3 +503,14 @@ match = { path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.3/*" }
 ```
 
 Paths have the `/sys` prefix stripped.
+
+## Capabilities
+
+`mctpd` requires the `CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE` and `CAP_NET_ADMIN` capabilites to run.
+If the service is not running as root these should be added to the `AmbientCapabilities` setting in the service's config.
+If the target platform has the `libcap` library available,
+the `mctpd` process will drop `CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE` when it is no longer needed.
+
+Because `mctpd` may be exposed to potentially hostile inputs,
+it shouldn't be given more capabilities than necessary.
+`mctpd` will emit a warning while starting on target platforms that do not have `libcap`.

meson.build

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ add_project_arguments('-Wno-unused-parameter', language : 'c')
 
 libsystemd = dependency('libsystemd', version: '>=247', required: false)
 
+libcap = dependency('libcap', required: false)
+
 conf = configuration_data()
 conf.set10('HAVE_LINUX_MCTP_H',
     cc.has_header('linux/mctp.h'),
@@ -37,6 +39,10 @@ conf.set10('MCTPD_WRITABLE_CONNECTIVITY',
     get_option('unsafe-writable-connectivity'),
     description: 'Allow writes to the Connectivity member of the au.com.codeconstruct.MCTP.Endpoint1 interface on endpoint objects')
 
+conf.set10('MCTPD_MANAGE_CAPABILITIES',
+    libcap.found(),
+    description: 'Require mctpd to minimise its capabilities (emits warning on start if false)')
+
 conf.set_quoted('MCTPD_CONF_FILE_DEFAULT',
     join_paths(get_option('prefix'), get_option('sysconfdir'), 'mctpd.conf'),
     description: 'Default configuration file path',
@@ -89,7 +95,7 @@ if libsystemd.found()
         sources: [
             'src/mctpd.c',
         ] + netlink_sources + util_sources + ops_sources,
-        dependencies: [libsystemd, toml_dep],
+        dependencies: [libsystemd, toml_dep, libcap],
         install: true,
         install_dir: get_option('sbindir'),
         c_args: ['-DOPS_SD_EVENT=1'],
@@ -100,7 +106,7 @@ if libsystemd.found()
             'src/mctpd.c',
         ] + test_ops_sources + netlink_sources + util_sources,
         include_directories:  include_directories('src'),
-        dependencies: [libsystemd, toml_dep],
+        dependencies: [libsystemd, toml_dep, libcap],
         c_args: ['-DOPS_SD_EVENT=1'],
     )
 endif

src/mctpd.c

@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 #define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include "config.h"
 
+#if MCTPD_MANAGE_CAPABILITIES
+#include <sys/capability.h>
+#endif
+
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <systemd/sd-bus-vtable.h>
 #include <time.h>
@@ -6342,13 +6346,56 @@ static int endpoint_allocate_eids(struct peer *peer)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int drop_bind_cap(void)
+{
+#if MCTPD_MANAGE_CAPABILITIES
+	cap_flag_t flags[] = { CAP_EFFECTIVE, CAP_INHERITABLE, CAP_PERMITTED };
+	cap_value_t bind = CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE;
+	cap_t cap;
+	size_t i;
+	int rc;
+
+	cap = cap_get_proc();
+	if (!cap)
+		return -errno;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(flags); i++) {
+		rc = cap_set_flag(cap, flags[i], 1, &bind, CAP_CLEAR);
+		if (rc < 0) {
+			rc = -errno;
+			cap_free(cap);
+			return rc;
+		}
+	}
+
+	rc = cap_set_proc(cap);
+	if (rc < 0) {
+		rc = -errno;
+		cap_free(cap);
+		return rc;
+	}
+
+	rc = cap_free(cap);
+	if (rc < 0)
+		return -errno;
+
+	return 0;
+#else
+	return 0;
+#endif
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	struct ctx ctxi = { 0 }, *ctx = &ctxi;
 	int rc;
 
 	setlinebuf(stdout);
 
+#if !MCTPD_MANAGE_CAPABILITIES
+	warnx("mctpd has been compiled without capability management and will not drop CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE");
+#endif
+
 	setup_config_defaults(ctx);
 	setup_ctrl_cmd_defaults(ctx);
 
@@ -6397,6 +6444,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		return 1;
 	}
 
+	rc = drop_bind_cap();
+	if (rc < 0) {
+		warnx("Error dropping capabilities, returned %s %d",
+		      strerror(-rc), rc);
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	// All setup must be complete by here, we might immediately
 	// get requests from waiting clients.
 	rc = request_dbus(ctx);