Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86/entry: Clear extra registers beyond syscall arguments for 64bit kernels

From: Andy Lutomirski
Date: Sat Feb 03 2018 - 19:15:38 EST


On Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 11:21 PM, Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> At entry userspace may have populated the extra registers outside the
> syscall calling convention with values that could be useful in a
> speculative execution attack. Clear them to minimize the kernel's attack
> surface. Note, this only clears the extra registers and not the unused
> registers for syscalls less than 6 arguments since those registers are
> likely to be clobbered well before their values could be put to use
> under speculation.
>
> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: x86@xxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: Andy Lutomirski <luto@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reported-by: Andi Kleen <ak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Signed-off-by: Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> arch/x86/entry/calling.h | 17 +++++++++++++++++
> arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S | 1 +
> 2 files changed, 18 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/calling.h b/arch/x86/entry/calling.h
> index 3f48f695d5e6..daee2d19e73d 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/entry/calling.h
> +++ b/arch/x86/entry/calling.h
> @@ -147,6 +147,23 @@ For 32-bit we have the following conventions - kernel is built with
> UNWIND_HINT_REGS offset=\offset
> .endm
>
> + /*
> + * Sanitize extra registers of values that a speculation attack
> + * might want to exploit. In the CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER=y case,
> + * the expectation is that %ebp will be clobbered before it
> + * could be used.
> + */
> + .macro CLEAR_EXTRA_REGS_NOSPEC
> + xorq %r15, %r15
> + xorq %r14, %r14
> + xorq %r13, %r13
> + xorq %r12, %r12
> + xorl %ebx, %ebx
> +#ifndef CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER
> + xorl %ebp, %ebp
> +#endif
> + .endm
> +

Can we make the clears only happen if we have CONFIG_RETPOLINE? Or is
there maybe some reason why we want this even without retpolines on?

> .macro POP_EXTRA_REGS
> popq %r15
> popq %r14
> diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S
> index c752abe89d80..46260e951da6 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S
> @@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ GLOBAL(entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe)
> TRACE_IRQS_OFF
>
> /* IRQs are off. */
> + CLEAR_EXTRA_REGS_NOSPEC

Please put the clears before TRACE_IRQS_OFF to protect users that use tracing.