WIP: Introduce Ftrace in the syscall section

examples/Makefile

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ obj-m += kbleds.o
 obj-m += sched.o
 obj-m += chardev2.o
 obj-m += syscall.o
+obj-m += syscall-ftrace.o
 obj-m += intrpt.o
 obj-m += cryptosha256.o
 obj-m += cryptosk.o

examples/syscall-ftrace.c

@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+/**
+ * syscall-ftrace.c
+ * 
+ * System call "stealing" with ftrace
+ * 
+ * We create a callback function that contains
+ * an unconditional jump to our spying function,
+ * which will then return control to the original one.
+ * 
+ * The callback function is triggered by ftrace.
+ */
+
+#include <linux/kernel.h>
+#include <linux/init.h>
+#include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/moduleparam.h>
+#include <linux/version.h>
+#include <linux/unistd.h>
+#include <linux/kprobes.h>
+#include <linux/sched.h>
+#include <linux/uaccess.h>
+#include <linux/slab.h>
+#include <linux/ftrace.h>
+
+MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
+
+#define MAX_FILENAME_SIZE 200
+
+#undef pr_fmt
+#define pr_fmt(fmt) "[syscall-ftrace] " fmt
+
+/* UID we want to spy on - will be filled from the command line. */
+static int uid = 0;
+module_param(uid, int, 0644);
+
+/**
+ * This is a housekeeping structure that saves all information
+ * needed for hooking. Usage with `PREPARE_HOOK` is recommended.
+ * 
+ * Example:
+ * static ftrace_hook_t sys_clone_hook = 
+ *      PREPARE_HOOK(__NR_clone, my_sys_clone, &orig_sys_clone)
+ */
+typedef struct ftrace_hook {
+    unsigned long nr; // syscall number from unistd.h
+    void *new; // hook function
+    void *orig; // original function
+
+    unsigned long address; // address to the original function
+    struct ftrace_ops ops; // ftrace structure
+} ftrace_hook_t;
+
+#define PREPARE_HOOK(_nr, _hook, _orig)                                        \
+    {                                                                          \
+        .nr = (_nr), .new = (_hook), .orig = (_orig)                           \
+    }
+
+static unsigned long **sys_call_table;
+
+/**
+ * For the sake of simplicity, only the kprobe method is included.
+ * If you want to know more about different methods to get
+ * kallsyms_lookup_name, see syscall.c.
+ */
+static int resolve_address(ftrace_hook_t *hook)
+{
+    static struct kprobe kp = { .symbol_name = "kallsyms_lookup_name" };
+    unsigned long (*kallsyms_lookup_name)(const char *name);
+    register_kprobe(&kp);
+    kallsyms_lookup_name = (unsigned long (*)(const char *))kp.addr;
+    unregister_kprobe(&kp);
+
+    if (kallsyms_lookup_name)
+        pr_info("kallsyms_lookup_name is found at 0x%lx\n",
+                (unsigned long)kallsyms_lookup_name);
+    else {
+        pr_err("kallsyms_lookup_name is not found!\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    sys_call_table = (unsigned long **)kallsyms_lookup_name("sys_call_table");
+    if (sys_call_table)
+        pr_info("sys_call_table is found at 0x%lx\n",
+                (unsigned long)sys_call_table);
+    else {
+        pr_err("sys_call_table is not found!\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    hook->address = (unsigned long)sys_call_table[hook->nr];
+    *((unsigned long *)hook->orig) = hook->address;
+    return 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * This is where the magic happens.
+ * 
+ * We check whether this function is called by the kernel or this module
+ * by checking whether parent_ip is within this module.
+ * 
+ * During the first call, parent_ip points to somewhere in the kernel
+ * that's not in this module,
+ * while the second call is in this module
+ * since it's called from our_sys_openat.
+ * 
+ * If it is the first call, we modify ip to be our_sys_openat,
+ * which will pass control to it after ftrace is done.
+ */
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(5, 11, 0)
+static void notrace ftrace_thunk(unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip,
+                                 struct ftrace_ops *ops,
+                                 struct ftrace_regs *fregs)
+{
+    ftrace_hook_t *hook = container_of(ops, ftrace_hook_t, ops);
+    if (!within_module(parent_ip, THIS_MODULE))
+        fregs->regs.ip = (unsigned long)hook->new;
+}
+
+#else /** Version < v5.11 */
+static void notrace ftrace_thunk(unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip,
+                                 struct ftrace_ops *ops, struct pt_regs *regs)
+{
+    ftrace_hook_t *hook = container_of(ops, ftrace_hook_t, ops);
+    if (!within_module(parent_ip, THIS_MODULE))
+        regs->ip = (unsigned long)hook->new;
+}
+
+#endif /** Version >= v5.11 */
+
+static int install_hook(ftrace_hook_t *hook)
+{
+    int err;
+    err = resolve_address(hook);
+    if (err)
+        return err;
+
+    /** The callback function */
+    hook->ops.func = ftrace_thunk;
+    /** We need registers and we're modifying ip */
+    hook->ops.flags = FTRACE_OPS_FL_SAVE_REGS | FTRACE_OPS_FL_IPMODIFY;
+    /** Only sys_openat should be traced */
+    err = ftrace_set_filter_ip(&hook->ops, hook->address, 0, 0);
+    if (err) {
+        pr_err("ftrace_set_filter_ip() failed: %d\n", err);
+        return err;
+    }
+
+    err = register_ftrace_function(&hook->ops);
+    if (err) {
+        pr_err("register_ftrace_function() failed: %d\n", err);
+        return err;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static void remove_hook(ftrace_hook_t *hook)
+{
+    int err;
+    err = unregister_ftrace_function(&hook->ops);
+    if (err)
+        pr_err("unregister_ftrace_function() failed: %d\n", err);
+
+    /** Disable the trace by setting remove to 1 */
+    err = ftrace_set_filter_ip(&hook->ops, hook->address, 1, 0);
+    if (err)
+        pr_err("ftrace_set_filter_ip() failed: %d\n", err);
+}
+
+/** For some reason the kernel segfaults when the parameters are expanded. */
+static asmlinkage long (*original_call)(struct pt_regs *regs);
+static asmlinkage long our_sys_openat(struct pt_regs *regs)
+{
+    char *kfilename;
+    int errcode = 0;
+    if (current->cred->uid.val != uid)
+        return original_call(regs);
+    kfilename = kmalloc(GFP_KERNEL, MAX_FILENAME_SIZE * sizeof(char));
+    if (!kfilename)
+        return original_call(regs);
+
+    /**
+     * This may only work in x86_64 because getting parameters
+     * from CPU registers is architecture-dependent.
+     * 
+     * Change regs->si to appropriate registers
+     * if you are trying on different architecture.
+     */
+    errcode =
+        copy_from_user(kfilename, (char __user *)regs->si, MAX_FILENAME_SIZE);
+    if (errcode < 0) {
+        kfree(kfilename);
+        return original_call(regs);
+    }
+
+    pr_info("File opened by UID %d: %s\n", uid, kfilename);
+    kfree(kfilename);
+
+    return original_call(regs);
+}
+
+static ftrace_hook_t sys_openat_hook =
+    PREPARE_HOOK(__NR_openat, our_sys_openat, &original_call);
+
+static int __init syscall_ftrace_start(void)
+{
+    int err;
+    err = install_hook(&sys_openat_hook);
+    if (err)
+        return err;
+    pr_info("hooked, spying on uid %d\n", uid);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static void __exit syscall_ftrace_end(void)
+{
+    remove_hook(&sys_openat_hook);
+    pr_info("removed\n");
+}
+
+module_init(syscall_ftrace_start);
+module_exit(syscall_ftrace_end);

lkmpg.tex

@@ -1554,6 +1554,96 @@ \section{System Calls}
 
 \samplec{examples/syscall.c}
 
+Another technique we can utilize to control the flow of execution of a syscall is \verb|ftrace|.
+It is an internal tracer designed to help out developers and designers of systems to find what is going on inside the kernel.
+It can be used for debugging or analyzing latencies and performance issues that take place outside of user-space.
+It is usually used as an event tracer by attaching callbacks to the beginning of functions in order to record and trace the flow of the kernel.
+
+\begin{code}
+struct ftrace_ops {
+  ftrace_func_t func; // callback function
+  unsigned long flags; // ftrace flags
+  void* private; // any private data
+};
+void callback_func(unsigned long ip, unsigned long parent_ip,
+                   struct ftrace_ops *ops, struct pt_regs *regs);
+\end{code}
+
+Above is the basic structure of the callback function, where the parameters are
+
+\begin{itemize}
+  \item \cpp|ip|: The instruction pointer of the function being traced.
+  \item \cpp|parent_ip|: The instruction pointer of the caller of the traced function.
+  \item \cpp|ops|: A pointer to \cpp|ftrace_ops| that was used to register the callback.
+  \item \cpp|regs|: If \cpp|FTRACE_OPS_FL_SAVE_REGS| or \cpp|FTRACE_OPS_FL_SAVE_REGS_IF_SUPPORTED| are set in the \cpp|ftrace_ops| structure, then this will be pointing to the \cpp|pt_regs| structure like it would be if an breakpoint was placed at the start of the function where \verb|ftrace| was tracing for CPU register access. Otherwise it either contains garbage, or \cpp|NULL|. Do notice that in kernel version later than v5.11, this is replaced with \cpp|struct ftrace_regs *fregs|, with the original \cpp|pt_regs| accessible by \cpp|fregs->regs|.
+\end{itemize}
+
+Internally, there's a 5-byte \cpp|call| to \cpp|__fentry__| at the beginning (BEFORE function prologue) of a traceable kernel function, which is converted to \cpp|nop| during boot to prevent overhead. When a trace is registered, it is changed back to \cpp|__fentry__| and the registered callback will be executed accordingly.
+
+But callbacks can do more.
+Since it's called at the start of a function,
+and we have access to CPU registers,
+maybe we can ``hijack'' the traced function by modifying the instruction pointer?
+Yes, this is possible by enabling \cpp|FTRACE_OPS_FL_IPMODIFY| flag when registering a trace.
+It will allow us to modify the instruction pointer register, which will become an unconditional jump after the \verb|ftrace| function.
+Note that while there can be multiple tracers on one function, only one tracer that changes \cpp|ip| can be registered at the same time.
+
+Figure~\ref{img:ftrace-hooking-example} gives an example of auditing \cpp|sys_execve| by hooking it using \verb|ftrace|.
+The callback function (\cpp|fh_ftrace_thunk|) checks whether the call is from the kernel or the module,
+and passes control accordingly.
+If the call is from the kernel, our auditing function is called.
+Otherwise, nothing happens.
+The check is important because we're only ``decorating'' the original syscall.
+Our auditing function contains call to the original \cpp|sys_execve|,
+which will trigger the callback function again.
+It'll be an infinite loop if there's no check performed.
+
+\begin{figure}[h]
+  \centering
+  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{assets/syscall/flow.jpg}
+  \caption{Linux kernel hooking with ftrace \href{https://www.apriorit.com/dev-blog/546-hooking-linux-functions-2}{Source}}
+  \label{img:ftrace-hooking-example}
+\end{figure}
+
+In fact, this is what live kernel patches uses.
+By redirecting the flow of execution,
+end users can use patched functions instead of vulnerable ones without reboot, as figure~\ref{img:kernel-livepatching} shows.
+
+\begin{figure}[h]
+  \centering
+  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{assets/syscall/kernel-livepatching1.png}\\
+  \vspace{1cm}
+  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{assets/syscall/kernel-livepatching2.png}
+  \caption{How live kernel patching works. \href{https://ubuntu.com/blog/an-overview-of-live-kernel-patching}{Source}}
+  \label{img:kernel-livepatching}
+\end{figure}
+
+For more information regarding \verb|ftrace|, check out \href{https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/trace/ftrace.html}{the kernel documentation} and \href{https://youtu.be/93uE_kWWQjs}{this talk from Steven Rostedt}.
+
+Before getting our hands dirty, here are some functions we need to know.
+
+\begin{itemize}
+  \item \cpp|register_ftrace_function(struct ftrace_ops *ops)|: Enable tracing call defined by \cpp|ops|
+  \item \cpp|unregister_ftrace_function(struct ftrace_ops *ops)|: Disable tracing call defined by \cpp|ops|
+  \item \cpp|ftrace_set_filter(struct ftrace_ops *ops, unsigned char *buf, int len, int reset)|: Denote which function should be enabled for tracing by its name. If \cpp|buf| is \cpp|NULL|, all functions will be enabled.
+  \item \cpp|ftrace_set_filter_ip(struct ftrace_ops *ops, unsigned long ip, int remove, int reset)|: Denote which function should be enabled for tracing by its address. \cpp|remove| should be \cpp|0| when adding a trace, and \cpp|1| when removing one. Note that \cpp|ip| must be the address where the call to \cpp|__fentry__| is located in the function.
+\end{itemize}
+
+Alright let's write some code.
+Below is the source code of the example from above, but rewritten using \verb|ftrace|.
+The main difference is the \cpp|install_hook| function,
+which prepares our tracee function (\cpp|sys_openat|),
+and the callback function (\cpp|ftrace_thunk|).
+We need both \cpp|FTRACE_OPS_FL_SAVE_REGS| and \cpp|FTRACE_OPS_FL_IPMODIFY| because we're modifying \cpp|ip|.
+Inside \cpp|ftrace_thunk| is what the magic happens.
+We check if it is called from within the module,
+if not then it modifies the instruction pointer to our ``spying'' function.
+The check is performed by checking whether \cpp|parent_ip| is within this module.
+During the first call, \cpp|parent_ip| points to somewhere within the kernel,
+while during the second call it points to somewhere in our ``spying'' function, which is within the module.
+
+\samplec{examples/syscall-ftrace.c}
+
 \section{Blocking Processes and threads}
 \label{sec:blocking_process_thread}
 \subsection{Sleep}