This is a list of various interesting security features since v3.4 and
when they were introduced in the upstream kernel. Feel free to add
anything more!
| Version |
Feature |
| v3.5 |
seccomp-bpf, x86 |
| v3.7 |
PXN, arm64 |
| v3.8 |
seccomp-bpf, arm |
| seccomp reported in /proc/$pid/status |
| finit_module syscall and LSM hook |
| Version |
Feature |
| v3.5 |
seccomp-bpf, x86 |
| v3.7 |
PXN, arm64 |
| v3.8 |
seccomp-bpf, arm |
| seccomp reported in /proc/$pid/status |
|
| finit_module syscall and LSM hook |
|
| v3.13 |
remove %n from printf |
| v3.14 |
ptdump, arm |
| kaslr, x86 |
|
| modules ro/nx, arm |
|
| stack-protector-strong |
|
| kexec_load_disabled |
|
| v3.15 |
seccomp-bpf, mips |
| lkdtm WRITE_KERN |
|
| module aslr, x86 |
|
| v3.16 |
harden sysctl writing |
| v3.17 |
seccomp syscall and TSYNC |
| request_firmware LSM hook |
|
| v3.18 |
kernel memory W^X, x86 |
| overlayfs v3.18 |
|
| v3.19 |
kernel ro/nx, arm |
| modules ro/nx, arm64 |
|
| ptdump, arm64 |
|
| seccomp-bpf, arm64 |
|
| PXN, arm |
|
| crypto- module prefixing |
|
| ecryptfs one-byte heap write fix |
|
| arm64 mmap ASLR fix |
|
| vdso ASLR fix, x86_64 |
|
| vsyscall=none, x86_64 |
|
| vdso ASLR, mips |
|
| v4.0 |
kernel ro/nx, arm64 |
| stack ASLR fix |
|
| seccomp-bpf, RET_ERRNO capped to 4095 |
|
| v4.1 |
kernel stack buffer overflow detection, mips |
| INET_DIAG cookies fixed |
|
| ET_DYN ASLR separate from mmap ASLR |
|
| v4.3 |
PAN emulation, arm |
| ambient capabilities |
|
| seccomp-bpf, powerpc |
|
| x86_32 direct socket calls |
|
| v4.4 |
vsyscall CONFIG |
| v4.5 |
ASLR entropy bits sysctl |
| v4.6 |
KASLR, arm64 |
| RODATA on by default, arm64 |
|
| RODATA on by default, arm (ARMv7+) |
|
| RODATA mandatory, x86 |
|
| v4.7 |
LoadPin LSM |
| KASLR text, MIPS |
|
| SLAB freelist ASLR |
|
| brk ASLR weakness fixed, arm64 compat |
|
| eBPF JIT blinding |
|
| v4.8 |
SLUB freelist ASLR |
| KASLR text phys/virt split, x86_64 |
|
| KASLR memory, x86_64 |
|
| gcc-plugin infrastructure |
|
| fix _etext, arm |
|
| fix _etext, arm64 |
|
| HARDENED_USERCOPY lkdtm tests |
|
| KASLR with hibernation, x86 |
|
| seccomp vs ptrace fixed |
|
| HARDENED_USERCOPY |
|
| NX stack and heap, mips |
|
| v4.9 |
latent_entropy plugin |
| vmap stack, x86 |
|
| thread_info in task_struct, x86 |
|
| random_page() cleanup |
|
| RODATA mandatory, arm64 |
|
| user_ns restrictions |
|
| v4.10 |
CONFIG_DEBUG_LIST hardening |
| PAN emulation, arm64 v8.0 |
|
| thread_info in task-struct, arm64 |
|
| get_user zeroing fix, arm |
|
| report nnp |
|
| seed RNG from UEFI |
|
| CONFIG_DEBUG_WX, arm64 |
|
|
|