[$] Two approaches to tightening restrictions on loadable modules The kernel's loadable-module facility allows code to be loaded into (and sometimes removed from) a running kernel. Among other things, loadable modules make it possible to run a kernel with only the subsystems needed for the system's hardware and workload. Loadable modules can also make it easy for out-of-tree code to access parts of the kernel that developers would prefer to keep private; this has led to https://lwn.net/Kernel/Index/#Modules-Exported_symbols in the past. The topic has returned to the kernel's mailing lists with two different patch sets aimed at further tightening the restrictions applied to loadable modules. https://lwn.net/Articles/998221/