linux/Documentation/usb/authorization.rst
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   2Authorizing (or not) your USB devices to connect to the system
   3==============================================================
   4
   5Copyright (C) 2007 Inaky Perez-Gonzalez <inaky@linux.intel.com> Intel Corporation
   6
   7This feature allows you to control if a USB device can be used (or
   8not) in a system. This feature will allow you to implement a lock-down
   9of USB devices, fully controlled by user space.
  10
  11As of now, when a USB device is connected it is configured and
  12its interfaces are immediately made available to the users.  With this
  13modification, only if root authorizes the device to be configured will
  14then it be possible to use it.
  15
  16Usage
  17=====
  18
  19Authorize a device to connect::
  20
  21        $ echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/DEVICE/authorized
  22
  23De-authorize a device::
  24
  25        $ echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/DEVICE/authorized
  26
  27Set new devices connected to hostX to be deauthorized by default (ie:
  28lock down)::
  29
  30        $ echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usbX/authorized_default
  31
  32Remove the lock down::
  33
  34        $ echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usbX/authorized_default
  35
  36By default, Wired USB devices are authorized by default to
  37connect. Wireless USB hosts deauthorize by default all new connected
  38devices (this is so because we need to do an authentication phase
  39before authorizing). Writing "2" to the authorized_default attribute
  40causes kernel to only authorize by default devices connected to internal
  41USB ports.
  42
  43
  44Example system lockdown (lame)
  45------------------------------
  46
  47Imagine you want to implement a lockdown so only devices of type XYZ
  48can be connected (for example, it is a kiosk machine with a visible
  49USB port)::
  50
  51  boot up
  52  rc.local ->
  53
  54   for host in /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb*
  55   do
  56      echo 0 > $host/authorized_default
  57   done
  58
  59Hookup an script to udev, for new USB devices::
  60
  61 if device_is_my_type $DEV
  62 then
  63   echo 1 > $device_path/authorized
  64 done
  65
  66
  67Now, device_is_my_type() is where the juice for a lockdown is. Just
  68checking if the class, type and protocol match something is the worse
  69security verification you can make (or the best, for someone willing
  70to break it). If you need something secure, use crypto and Certificate
  71Authentication or stuff like that. Something simple for an storage key
  72could be::
  73
  74 function device_is_my_type()
  75 {
  76   echo 1 > authorized          # temporarily authorize it
  77                                # FIXME: make sure none can mount it
  78   mount DEVICENODE /mntpoint
  79   sum=$(md5sum /mntpoint/.signature)
  80   if [ $sum = $(cat /etc/lockdown/keysum) ]
  81   then
  82        echo "We are good, connected"
  83        umount /mntpoint
  84        # Other stuff so others can use it
  85   else
  86        echo 0 > authorized
  87   fi
  88 }
  89
  90
  91Of course, this is lame, you'd want to do a real certificate
  92verification stuff with PKI, so you don't depend on a shared secret,
  93etc, but you get the idea. Anybody with access to a device gadget kit
  94can fake descriptors and device info. Don't trust that. You are
  95welcome.
  96
  97
  98Interface authorization
  99-----------------------
 100
 101There is a similar approach to allow or deny specific USB interfaces.
 102That allows to block only a subset of an USB device.
 103
 104Authorize an interface::
 105
 106        $ echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/INTERFACE/authorized
 107
 108Deauthorize an interface::
 109
 110        $ echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/INTERFACE/authorized
 111
 112The default value for new interfaces
 113on a particular USB bus can be changed, too.
 114
 115Allow interfaces per default::
 116
 117        $ echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usbX/interface_authorized_default
 118
 119Deny interfaces per default::
 120
 121        $ echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usbX/interface_authorized_default
 122
 123Per default the interface_authorized_default bit is 1.
 124So all interfaces would authorized per default.
 125
 126Note:
 127  If a deauthorized interface will be authorized so the driver probing must
 128  be triggered manually by writing INTERFACE to /sys/bus/usb/drivers_probe
 129
 130For drivers that need multiple interfaces all needed interfaces should be
 131authorized first. After that the drivers should be probed.
 132This avoids side effects.
 133