On Wed, 2021-08-18 at 20:20 -0400, Eric Snowberg wrote:

Many UEFI Linux distributions boot using shim.  The UEFI shim provides
what is called Machine Owner Keys (MOK).  Shim uses both the UEFI Secure
Boot DB and MOK keys to validate the next step in the boot chain.  The
MOK facility can be used to import user generated keys.  These keys can
be used to sign an end-user development kernel build.  When Linux boots,
pre-boot keys (both UEFI Secure Boot DB and MOK keys) get loaded in the
Linux .platform keyring.  

Currently, pre-boot keys are not trusted within the Linux trust boundary
[1]. These platform keys can only be used for kexec. If an end-user
wants to use their own key within the Linux trust boundary, they must
either compile it into the kernel themselves or use the insert-sys-cert
script. Both options present a problem. Many end-users do not want to
compile their own kernels. With the insert-sys-cert option, there are
missing upstream changes [2].  Also, with the insert-sys-cert option,
the end-user must re-sign their kernel again with their own key, and
then insert that key into the MOK db. Another problem with
insert-sys-cert is that only a single key can be inserted into a
compressed kernel.

Having the ability to insert a key into the Linux trust boundary opens
up various possibilities.  The end-user can use a pre-built kernel and
sign their own kernel modules.  It also opens up the ability for an
end-user to more easily use digital signature based IMA-appraisal.  To
get a key into the ima keyring, it must be signed by a key within the
Linux trust boundary.

As of today, I can use a prebuilt kernel, crate my own MOK key and sign
modules. What will be different?

Downstream Linux distros try to have a single signed kernel for each
architecture.  Each end-user may use this kernel in entirely different
ways.  Some downstream kernels have chosen to always trust platform keys
within the Linux trust boundary for kernel module signing.  These
kernels have no way of using digital signature base IMA appraisal.

This series introduces a new Linux kernel keyring containing the Machine
Owner Keys (MOK) called .mok. It also adds a new MOK variable to shim.

I would name it as ".machine" because it is more "re-usable" name, e.g.
could be used for similar things as MOK. ".mok" is a bad name because
it binds directly to a single piece of user space software.

/Jarkko