pidfd: add CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL

Add a new clone3() flag CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL that ties a child's
lifetime to the pidfd returned from clone3(). When the last reference to
the struct file created by clone3() is closed the kernel sends SIGKILL
to the child. A pidfd obtained via pidfd_open() for the same process
does not keep the child alive and does not trigger autokill - only the
specific struct file from clone3() has this property.

This is useful for container runtimes, service managers, and sandboxed
subprocess execution - any scenario where the child must die if the
parent crashes or abandons the pidfd.

CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL requires both CLONE_PIDFD (the whole point is tying
lifetime to the pidfd file) and CLONE_AUTOREAP (a killed child with no
one to reap it would become a zombie). CLONE_THREAD is rejected because
autokill targets a process not a thread.

The clone3 pidfd is identified by the PIDFD_AUTOKILL file flag set on
the struct file at clone3() time. The pidfs .release handler checks this
flag and sends SIGKILL via do_send_sig_info(SIGKILL, SEND_SIG_PRIV, ...)
only when it is set. Files from pidfd_open() or open_by_handle_at() are
distinct struct files that do not carry this flag. dup()/fork() share the
same struct file so they extend the child's lifetime until the last
reference drops.

CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL uses a privilege model based on CLONE_NNP: without
CLONE_NNP the child could escalate privileges via setuid/setgid exec
after being spawned, so the caller must have CAP_SYS_ADMIN in its user
namespace. With CLONE_NNP the child can never gain new privileges so
unprivileged usage is allowed. This is a deliberate departure from the
pdeath_signal model which is reset during secureexec and commit_creds()
rendering it useless for container runtimes that need to deprivilege
themselves.

Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260226-work-pidfs-autoreap-v5-3-d148b984a989@kernel.org
Reviewed-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>

1 files changed, 1 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/sched.h b/include/uapi/linux/sched.h
index 386c8d7e89cb..149dbc64923b 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/sched.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/sched.h
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #define CLONE_INTO_CGROUP	(1ULL << 33) /* Clone into a specific cgroup given the right permissions. */
 #define CLONE_AUTOREAP		(1ULL << 34) /* Auto-reap child on exit. */
 #define CLONE_NNP		(1ULL << 35) /* Set no_new_privs on child. */
+#define CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL	(1ULL << 36) /* Kill child when clone pidfd closes. */
 
 /*
  * cloning flags intersect with CSIGNAL so can be used with unshare and clone3