The future of GCC plugins in the kernel
The future of GCC plugins in the kernel
[Kernel] Posted Apr 1, 2021 16:24 UTC (Thu) by mrybczyn
The process of hardening the kernel can benefit in a number of ways from support by the compiler. In recent years, the Kernel Self Protection Project has brought this support from the grsecurity/PaX patch set into the kernel in the form of GCC plugins; LWN looked into that process back in 2017. A recent discussion has highlighted the fact that the use of GCC plugins brings disadvantages as well, and some developers would prefer to see those plugins replaced.