Re: [tlug] Skype & PaX

[Edward Middleton <edward.middleton@example.com>]

On 06/19/2012 05:40 AM, David J Iannucci wrote:
> One thing about this new version is that it has a USE (read: config)
> flag to enable "paxmarking of the binary". I looked up PaX - sounds like
> a good thing, on quick skim of Wikipedia page. But it looks kinda
> dead-ish. Checked my kernel config - no items containing the string
> /pax/. Is this relevant any more? Is it only relevant to SE or
> "hardened" distros? If it's a dead thing, I wonder why it suddenly
> appears as a build option for a brand new Skype client....

PAX is part of Grsecurity[1] which is a hardening patchset against 
vanilla kernels and set of tools.  Gentoo supports it in the Hardened 
Gentoo[2].

Due to various differences in opinion between the developers of 
Grsecurity and Linus this patchset is probably not going to get 
integrated into vanilla Linux any time soon.

Without the pax marking skype won't run on Hardened Gentoo.

Edward

1. http://grsecurity.net/
2. http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/hardened/