qubes-mirage-firewall/README.md

# qubes-mirage-firewall

A unikernel that can run as a QubesOS ProxyVM, replacing `sys-firewall`.
It uses the [mirage-qubes][] library to implement the Qubes protocols.

Note: This firewall *ignores the rules set in the Qubes GUI*. See `rules.ml` for the actual policy.

See [A Unikernel Firewall for QubesOS][] for more details.


## Binary releases

Pre-built binaries are available from the [releases page][].
See the [Deploy](#deploy) section below for installation instructions.

## Build from source


Create a new Fedora-30 AppVM (or reuse an existing one). In the Qube's Settings (Basic / Disk storage), increase the private storage max size from the default 2048 MiB to 4096 MiB. Open a terminal.

Clone this Git repository and run the `build-with-docker.sh` script:

    mkdir /home/user/docker
    sudo ln -s /home/user/docker /var/lib/docker
    sudo dnf install docker
    sudo systemctl start docker
    git clone https://github.com/mirage/qubes-mirage-firewall.git
    cd qubes-mirage-firewall
    sudo ./build-with-docker.sh

This took about 10 minutes on my laptop (it will be much quicker if you run it again).
The symlink step at the start isn't needed if your build VM is standalone.
It gives Docker more disk space and avoids losing the Docker image cache when you reboot the Qube.

Note: the object files are stored in the `_build` directory to speed up incremental builds.
If you change the dependencies, you will need to delete this directory before rebuilding.

If you want to build on Debian, follow the instructions at [docker.com][debian-docker] to get Docker and then run `sudo ./build-with-docker.sh` as above.

It's OK to install the Docker package in a template VM if you want it to remain
after a reboot, but the build of the firewall itself should be done in a regular AppVM.

You can also build without Docker, as for any normal Mirage unikernel;
see [the Mirage installation instructions](https://mirage.io/wiki/install) for details.

The Docker build fixes the versions of the libraries it uses, ensuring that you will get
exactly the same binary that is in the release. If you build without Docker, it will build
against the latest versions instead (and the hash will therefore probably not match).
However, it should still work fine.

## Deploy

If you want to deploy manually, unpack `mirage-firewall.tar.bz2` in dom0, inside `/var/lib/qubes/vm-kernels/`. e.g. (if `dev` is the AppVM where you built it):

    [tal@dom0 ~]$ cd /var/lib/qubes/vm-kernels/
    [tal@dom0 vm-kernels]$ qvm-run -p dev 'cat qubes-mirage-firewall/mirage-firewall.tar.bz2' | tar xjf -

The tarball contains `vmlinuz`, which is the unikernel itself, plus a couple of dummy files that Qubes requires.

Run this command in dom0 to create a `mirage-firewall` VM using the `mirage-firewall` kernel you added above:

```
qvm-create \
  --property kernel=mirage-firewall \
  --property kernelopts=None \
  --property memory=32 \
  --property maxmem=32 \
  --property netvm=sys-net \
  --property provides_network=True \
  --property vcpus=1 \
  --property virt_mode=pv \
  --label=green \
  --class StandaloneVM \
  mirage-firewall
```

To upgrade from an earlier release, just overwrite `/var/lib/qubes/vm-kernels/mirage-firewall/vmlinuz` with the new version and restart the firewall VM.

### Configure AppVMs to use it

You can run `mirage-firewall` alongside your existing `sys-firewall` and you can choose which AppVMs use which firewall using the GUI.
To configure an AppVM to use it, go to the app VM's settings in the GUI and change its `NetVM` from `default (sys-firewall)` to `mirage-firewall`.

You can also configure it by running this command in dom0 (replace `my-app-vm` with the AppVM's name):

```
qvm-prefs --set my-app-vm netvm mirage-firewall
```

Alternatively, you can configure `mirage-firewall` to be your default firewall VM.

Note that by default dom0 uses sys-firewall as its "UpdateVM" (a proxy for downloading updates).
mirage-firewall cannot be used for this, but any Linux VM should be fine.
https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/software-update-dom0/ says:

> The role of UpdateVM can be assigned to any VM in the Qubes VM Manager, and
> there are no significant security implications in this choice. By default,
> this role is assigned to the firewallvm.

### Components

This diagram show the main components (each box corresponds to a source `.ml` file with the same name):

<p align='center'>
  <img src="./diagrams/components.svg"/>
</p>

Ethernet frames arrives from client qubes (such as `work` or `personal`) or from `sys-net`.
Internet (IP) packets are sent to `firewall`, which consults `rules` to decide what to do with the packet.
If it should be sent on, it uses `router` to send it to the chosen destination.
`client_net` watches the XenStore database provided by dom0
to find out when clients need to be added or removed.

The boot process:

- `config.ml` describes the libraries used and static configuration settings (NAT table size).
  The `mirage` tool uses this to generate `main.ml`.
- `main.ml` initialises the drivers selected by `config.ml`
  and calls the `start` function in `unikernel.ml`.
- `unikernel.ml` connects the Qubes agents, sets up the networking components,
  and then waits for a shutdown request.

### Easy deployment for developers

For development, use the [test-mirage][] scripts to deploy the unikernel (`qubes_firewall.xen`) from your development AppVM.
This takes a little more setting up the first time, but will be much quicker after that. e.g.

    $ test-mirage qubes_firewall.xen mirage-firewall
    Waiting for 'Ready'... OK
    Uploading 'qubes_firewall.xen' (5901080 bytes) to "mirage-firewall"
    Waiting for 'Booting'... OK
    --> Loading the VM (type = ProxyVM)...
    --> Starting Qubes DB...
    --> Setting Qubes DB info for the VM...
    --> Updating firewall rules...
    --> Starting the VM...
    --> Starting the qrexec daemon...
    Waiting for VM's qrexec agent.connected
    --> Starting Qubes GUId...
    Connecting to VM's GUI agent: .connected
    --> Sending monitor layout...
    --> Waiting for qubes-session...
    Connecting to mirage-firewall console...
    MirageOS booting...
    Initialising timer interface
    Initialising console ... done.
    gnttab_stubs.c: initialised mini-os gntmap
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.rexec] waiting for client...
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.gui] waiting for client...
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.db] connecting to server...
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.db] connected
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.rexec] client connected, using protocol version 2
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.db] got update: "/qubes-keyboard" = "xkb_keymap {\n\txkb_keycodes  { include \"evdev+aliases(qwerty)\"\t};\n\txkb_types     { include \"complete\"\t};\n\txkb_compat    { include \"complete\"\t};\n\txkb_symbols   { include \"pc+gb+inet(evdev)\"\t};\n\txkb_geometry  { include \"pc(pc105)\"\t};\n};"
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [qubes.gui] client connected (screen size: 6720x2160)
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [unikernel] Qubes agents connected in 0.095 s (CPU time used since boot: 0.008 s)
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [net-xen:frontend] connect 0
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [memory_pressure] Writing meminfo: free 6584 / 17504 kB (37.61 %)
    Note: cannot write Xen 'control' directory
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [net-xen:frontend] create: id=0 domid=1
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [net-xen:frontend]  sg:true gso_tcpv4:true rx_copy:true rx_flip:false smart_poll:false
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: INF [net-xen:frontend] MAC: 00:16:3e:5e:6c:11
    2017-03-18 11:32:37 -00:00: WRN [command] << Unknown command "QUBESRPC qubes.SetMonitorLayout dom0"
    2017-03-18 11:32:38 -00:00: INF [ethif] Connected Ethernet interface 00:16:3e:5e:6c:11
    2017-03-18 11:32:38 -00:00: INF [arpv4] Connected arpv4 device on 00:16:3e:5e:6c:11
    2017-03-18 11:32:38 -00:00: INF [dao] Watching backend/vif
    2017-03-18 11:32:38 -00:00: INF [qubes.db] got update: "/qubes-netvm-domid" = "1"

# Testing if the firewall works

Build the test unikernel in the test directory.
Install it to a vm which has the firewall as netvm.
Set the rules for the testvm to "textfile".
Run the test unikernel.

# Security advisories

See [issues tagged "security"](https://github.com/mirage/qubes-mirage-firewall/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=label%3Asecurity+) for security advisories affecting the firewall.

# LICENSE

Copyright (c) 2019, Thomas Leonard
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

[test-mirage]: https://github.com/talex5/qubes-test-mirage
[mirage-qubes]: https://github.com/mirage/mirage-qubes
[A Unikernel Firewall for QubesOS]: http://roscidus.com/blog/blog/2016/01/01/a-unikernel-firewall-for-qubesos/
[releases page]: https://github.com/mirage/qubes-mirage-firewall/releases
[debian-docker]: https://docs.docker.com/install/linux/docker-ce/debian/#install-using-the-repository