[RFC PATCH v9 01/27] Documentation/x86: Add CET description
From: Yu-cheng Yu
Date: Wed Feb 05 2020 - 13:20:30 EST
Explain no_cet_shstk/no_cet_ibt kernel parameters, and introduce a new
document on Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET).
Signed-off-by: Yu-cheng Yu <yu-cheng.yu@xxxxxxxxx>
---
.../admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt | 6 +
Documentation/x86/index.rst | 1 +
Documentation/x86/intel_cet.rst | 294 ++++++++++++++++++
3 files changed, 301 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 Documentation/x86/intel_cet.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index ade4e6ec23e0..8b69ebf0baed 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -3001,6 +3001,12 @@
noexec=on: enable non-executable mappings (default)
noexec=off: disable non-executable mappings
+ no_cet_shstk [X86-64] Disable Shadow Stack for user-mode
+ applications
+
+ no_cet_ibt [X86-64] Disable Indirect Branch Tracking for user-mode
+ applications
+
nosmap [X86,PPC]
Disable SMAP (Supervisor Mode Access Prevention)
even if it is supported by processor.
diff --git a/Documentation/x86/index.rst b/Documentation/x86/index.rst
index a8de2fbc1caa..81f919801765 100644
--- a/Documentation/x86/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/x86/index.rst
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ x86-specific Documentation
tlb
mtrr
pat
+ intel_cet
intel_mpx
intel-iommu
intel_txt
diff --git a/Documentation/x86/intel_cet.rst b/Documentation/x86/intel_cet.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..71e2462fea5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/x86/intel_cet.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,294 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=========================================
+Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET)
+=========================================
+
+[1] Overview
+============
+
+Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) provides protection against
+return/jump-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. It can be setup to
+protect both applications and the kernel. In the first phase, only
+user-mode protection is implemented in the 64-bit kernel; 32-bit
+applications are supported in compatibility mode.
+
+CET introduces Shadow Stack (SHSTK) and Indirect Branch Tracking
+(IBT). SHSTK is a secondary stack allocated from memory and cannot
+be directly modified by applications. When executing a CALL, the
+processor pushes a copy of the return address to SHSTK. Upon
+function return, the processor pops the SHSTK copy and compares it
+to the one from the program stack. If the two copies differ, the
+processor raises a control-protection fault. IBT verifies indirect
+CALL/JMP targets are intended as marked by the compiler with 'ENDBR'
+opcodes (see CET instructions below).
+
+There are two kernel configuration options:
+
+ X86_INTEL_SHADOW_STACK_USER, and
+ X86_INTEL_BRANCH_TRACKING_USER.
+
+To build a CET-enabled kernel, Binutils v2.31 and GCC v8.1 or later
+are required. To build a CET-enabled application, GLIBC v2.28 or
+later is also required.
+
+There are two command-line options for disabling CET features::
+
+ no_cet_shstk - disables SHSTK, and
+ no_cet_ibt - disables IBT.
+
+At run time, /proc/cpuinfo shows the availability of SHSTK and IBT.
+
+[2] CET assembly instructions
+=============================
+
+RDSSP %r
+ Read the SHSTK pointer into %r.
+
+INCSSP %r
+ Unwind (increment) the SHSTK pointer (0 ~ 255) steps as indicated
+ in the operand register. The GLIBC longjmp uses INCSSP to unwind
+ the SHSTK until that matches the program stack. When it is
+ necessary to unwind beyond 255 steps, longjmp divides and repeats
+ the process.
+
+RSTORSSP (%r)
+ Switch to the SHSTK indicated in the 'restore token' pointed by
+ the operand register and replace the 'restore token' with a new
+ token to be saved (with SAVEPREVSSP) for the outgoing SHSTK.
+
+::
+
+ Before RSTORSSP
+
+ Incoming SHSTK Current/Outgoing SHSTK
+
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ addr=x | | ssp-> | |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ (%r)-> | rstor_token=(x|Lg) | addr=y-8 | |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+
+ After RSTORSSP
+
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ addr=x | | | |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ ssp-> | rstor_token=(y|Pv|Lg)| addr=y-8 | |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+
+ note:
+ 1. Only valid addresses and restore tokens can be on the
+ user-mode SHSTK.
+ 2. A token is always of type u64 and must align to u64.
+ 3. The incoming SHSTK pointer in a rstor_token must point to
+ immediately above the token.
+ 4. 'Lg' is bit[0] of a rstor_token indicating a 64-bit SHSTK.
+ 5. 'Pv' is bit[1] of a rstor_token indicating the token is to
+ be used only for the next SAVEPREVSSP and invalid for
+ RSTORSSP.
+
+SAVEPREVSSP
+ Pop the SHSTK 'restore token' pointed by current SHSTK pointer
+ and store it at (previous SHSTK pointer - 8).
+
+::
+
+ After SAVEPREVSSP
+
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ ssp-> | | | |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+ addr=x-8 | rstor_token=(y|Pv|Lg)| addr=y-8 | rstor_token(y|Lg) |
+ |----------------------| |----------------------|
+
+WRUSS %r0, (%r1)
+ Write the value in %r0 to the SHSTK address pointed by (%r1).
+ This is a kernel-mode only instruction.
+
+ENDBR and NOTRACK prefix
+ When IBT is enabled, an indirect CALL/JMP must either::
+
+ have a NOTRACK prefix,
+ reach an ENDBR, or
+ reach an address within a legacy code page;
+
+ or it results in a control-protection fault.
+
+ When the target address is derived from information that cannot
+ be modified, the compiler uses the NOTRACK prefix. In other
+ cases, the compiler inserts an ENDBR at the target address.
+
+ A legacy code page is designated in the legacy code bitmap, which
+ is explained below in section [8].
+
+[3] Application Enabling
+========================
+
+An application's CET capability is marked in its ELF header and can
+be verified from the following command output, in the
+NT_GNU_PROPERTY_TYPE_0 field:
+
+ readelf -n <application>
+
+If an application supports CET and is statically linked, it will run
+with CET protection. If the application needs any shared libraries,
+the loader checks all dependencies and enables CET only when all
+requirements are met.
+
+[4] Legacy Libraries
+====================
+
+GLIBC provides a few tunables for backward compatibility.
+
+GLIBC_TUNABLES=glibc.tune.hwcaps=-SHSTK,-IBT
+ Turn off SHSTK/IBT for the current shell.
+
+GLIBC_TUNABLES=glibc.tune.x86_shstk=<on, permissive>
+ This controls how dlopen() handles SHSTK legacy libraries::
+
+ on - continue with SHSTK enabled;
+ permissive - continue with SHSTK off.
+
+[5] CET system calls
+====================
+
+The following arch_prctl() system calls are added for CET:
+
+arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_STATUS, unsigned long *addr)
+ Return CET feature status.
+
+ The parameter 'addr' is a pointer to a user buffer.
+ On returning to the caller, the kernel fills the following
+ information::
+
+ *addr = SHSTK/IBT status
+ *(addr + 1) = SHSTK base address
+ *(addr + 2) = SHSTK size
+
+arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_DISABLE, unsigned long features)
+ Disable SHSTK and/or IBT specified in 'features'. Return -EPERM
+ if CET is locked.
+
+arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_LOCK)
+ Lock in CET feature.
+
+arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_ALLOC_SHSTK, unsigned long *addr)
+ Allocate a new SHSTK and put a restore token at top.
+
+ The parameter 'addr' is a pointer to a user buffer and indicates
+ the desired SHSTK size to allocate. On returning to the caller,
+ the kernel fills '*addr' with the base address of the new SHSTK.
+
+arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_MARK_LEGACY_CODE, unsigned long *addr)
+ Mark an address range as IBT legacy code.
+
+ The parameter 'addr' is a pointer to a user buffer that has the
+ following information::
+
+ *addr = starting linear address of the legacy code
+ *(addr + 1) = size of the legacy code
+ *(addr + 2) = set (1); clear (0)
+
+Note:
+ There is no CET-enabling arch_prctl function. By design, CET is
+ enabled automatically if the binary and the system can support it.
+
+ The parameters passed are always unsigned 64-bit. When an IA32
+ application passing pointers, it should only use the lower 32 bits.
+
+[6] The implementation of the SHSTK
+===================================
+
+SHSTK size
+----------
+
+A task's SHSTK is allocated from memory to a fixed size of
+RLIMIT_STACK. A compat-mode thread's SHSTK size is 1/4 of
+RLIMIT_STACK. The smaller 32-bit thread SHSTK allows more threads to
+share a 32-bit address space.
+
+Signal
+------
+
+The main program and its signal handlers use the same SHSTK. Because
+the SHSTK stores only return addresses, a large SHSTK will cover the
+condition that both the program stack and the sigaltstack run out.
+
+The kernel creates a restore token at the SHSTK restoring address and
+verifies that token when restoring from the signal handler.
+
+IBT for signal delivering and sigreturn is the same as the main
+program's setup; except for WAIT_ENDBR status, which can be read from
+MSR_IA32_U_CET. In general, a task is in WAIT_ENDBR after an
+indirect CALL/JMP and before the next instruction starts.
+
+A task's WAIT_ENDBR is reset for its signal handler, but preserved on
+the task's stack; and then restored from sigreturn.
+
+Fork
+----
+
+The SHSTK's vma has VM_SHSTK flag set; its PTEs are required to be
+read-only and dirty. When a SHSTK PTE is not present, RO, and dirty,
+a SHSTK access triggers a page fault with an additional SHSTK bit set
+in the page fault error code.
+
+When a task forks a child, its SHSTK PTEs are copied and both the
+parent's and the child's SHSTK PTEs are cleared of the dirty bit.
+Upon the next SHSTK access, the resulting SHSTK page fault is handled
+by page copy/re-use.
+
+When a pthread child is created, the kernel allocates a new SHSTK for
+the new thread.
+
+Setjmp/Longjmp
+--------------
+
+Longjmp unwinds SHSTK until it matches the program stack.
+
+Ucontext
+--------
+
+In GLIBC, getcontext/setcontext is implemented in similar way as
+setjmp/longjmp.
+
+When makecontext creates a new ucontext, a new SHSTK is allocated for
+that context with ARCH_X86_CET_ALLOC_SHSTK syscall. The kernel
+creates a restore token at the top of the new SHSTK and the user-mode
+code switches to the new SHSTK with the RSTORSSP instruction.
+
+[7] The management of read-only & dirty PTEs for SHSTK
+======================================================
+
+A RO and dirty PTE exists in the following cases:
+
+(a) A page is modified and then shared with a fork()'ed child;
+(b) A R/O page that has been COW'ed;
+(c) A SHSTK page.
+
+The processor only checks the dirty bit for (c). To prevent the use
+of non-SHSTK memory as SHSTK, we use a spare bit of the 64-bit PTE as
+DIRTY_SW for (a) and (b) above. This results to the following PTE
+settings::
+
+ Modified PTE: (R/W + DIRTY_HW)
+ Modified and shared PTE: (R/O + DIRTY_SW)
+ R/O PTE, COW'ed: (R/O + DIRTY_SW)
+ SHSTK PTE: (R/O + DIRTY_HW)
+ SHSTK PTE, COW'ed: (R/O + DIRTY_HW)
+ SHSTK PTE, shared: (R/O + DIRTY_SW)
+
+Note that DIRTY_SW is only used in R/O PTEs but not R/W PTEs.
+
+[8] The implementation of IBT legacy bitmap
+===========================================
+
+When IBT is active, a non-IBT-capable legacy library can be executed
+if its address ranges are specified in the legacy code bitmap. The
+bitmap covers the whole user-space address, which is TASK_SIZE_MAX
+for 64-bit and TASK_SIZE for IA32, and its each bit indicates a 4-KB
+legacy code page. It is read-only from an application, and setup by
+the kernel as a special mapping when the first time the application
+calls arch_prctl(ARCH_X86_CET_MARK_LEGACY_CODE). The application
+manages the bitmap through the arch_prctl.
--
2.21.0