WireGuard Will Port To Existing Linux Crypto API In Order To Make It In The Kernel

Written by Michael Larabel in Linux Networking on 25 September 2019 at 07:07 AM EDT. 10 Comments
LINUX NETWORKING
The WireGuard open-source secure network tunnel won't be mainlined for Linux 5.4 but there finally is an action plan for getting this promising network security tech into the kernel.

WireGuard has been trying for mainline since last year but ultimately keeps getting blocked by its proposed Zinc crypto API that they've been viewing as a next-generation crypto interface over what is currently offered in the kernel with its crypto APIs. But differing views over Zinc and that making the review more difficult is now leading WireGuard to postponing those plans.

WireGuard will now be ported to the existing Linux crypto API and the Zinc effort will be handled separately after the fact. WireGuard lead developer Jason Donenfeld feels there are "serious problems" with the existing crypto API but will now make use of it anyway in order to get WireGuard mainlined. The crypto API deficiencies revolve around its primitives, interfaces, performance, and overall safety.

More details on WireGuard's new plans around crypto for going mainline can be found via this mailing list post. We'll see how quickly WireGuard gets buttoned up for the current crypto API and hope it can be achieved by Linux 5.5 for debuting early next year and that's likely the kernel to be powering Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
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Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.

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