Script execution control on Linux

This is a recap of yesterday's meeting (see #1382) about script execution control on Linux, and how it compares to #1364 (see https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/54364). @RafaelGSS, @mhdawson, @rdw-msft, and I were attending.

LWN published an article about this new feature: Restricting execution of scripts — the third approach

I gave a talk last week that explains the goal, the challenges, and the current approach: Closing the script execution control gap

The changes required for Node.js would be:

• To check all files containing code with execveat(2) + AT_CHECK
• To restrict according to 2 complementary securebits: SECBIT_EXEC_RESTRICT_FILE and SECBIT_EXEC_DENY_INTERACTIVE

Here is a proof of concept for Python (using the original securebits): https://github.com/zooba/spython/pull/12

Latest kernel patch series: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20240704190137.696169-1-mic@digikod.net/

I'll update this issue with the next patches (which will include an enlighten toy script interpreter).

Start with the linked 2024-09-26 meeting recap, issue #1382, issue #1364, and pull request #54364, then review the referenced execveat(2), securebits, and kernel patch materials. No implementation files or tests are named; the issue does not define a concrete completion target beyond exploring the proposed Node.js execution-control changes.