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[linux-2.6.git] / Documentation / netlabel / cipso_ipv4.txt

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+NetLabel CIPSO/IPv4 Protocol Engine
+==============================================================================
+Paul Moore, paul.moore@hp.com
+
+May 17, 2006
+
+ * Overview
+
+The NetLabel CIPSO/IPv4 protocol engine is based on the IETF Commercial IP
+Security Option (CIPSO) draft from July 16, 1992.  A copy of this draft can be
+found in this directory, consult '00-INDEX' for the filename.  While the IETF
+draft never made it to an RFC standard it has become a de-facto standard for
+labeled networking and is used in many trusted operating systems.
+
+ * Outbound Packet Processing
+
+The CIPSO/IPv4 protocol engine applies the CIPSO IP option to packets by
+adding the CIPSO label to the socket.  This causes all packets leaving the
+system through the socket to have the CIPSO IP option applied.  The socket's
+CIPSO label can be changed at any point in time, however, it is recommended
+that it is set upon the socket's creation.  The LSM can set the socket's CIPSO
+label by using the NetLabel security module API; if the NetLabel "domain" is
+configured to use CIPSO for packet labeling then a CIPSO IP option will be
+generated and attached to the socket.
+
+ * Inbound Packet Processing
+
+The CIPSO/IPv4 protocol engine validates every CIPSO IP option it finds at the
+IP layer without any special handling required by the LSM.  However, in order
+to decode and translate the CIPSO label on the packet the LSM must use the
+NetLabel security module API to extract the security attributes of the packet.
+This is typically done at the socket layer using the 'socket_sock_rcv_skb()'
+LSM hook.
+
+ * Label Translation
+
+The CIPSO/IPv4 protocol engine contains a mechanism to translate CIPSO security
+attributes such as sensitivity level and category to values which are
+appropriate for the host.  These mappings are defined as part of a CIPSO
+Domain Of Interpretation (DOI) definition and are configured through the
+NetLabel user space communication layer.  Each DOI definition can have a
+different security attribute mapping table.
+
+ * Label Translation Cache
+
+The NetLabel system provides a framework for caching security attribute
+mappings from the network labels to the corresponding LSM identifiers.  The
+CIPSO/IPv4 protocol engine supports this caching mechanism.