Re: [PATCH v3 2/2] x86/fpu: Update the debug flow for x86_task_fpu()

From: Oleg Nesterov
Date: Tue Aug 12 2025 - 09:06:56 EST


On 08/08, Sohil Mehta wrote:
>
> On 8/8/2025 8:11 AM, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
>
> >> However, independent of this warning, can xfpregs_get()->sync_fpstate()
> >> be called in the context of the PF_USER_WORKER thread?
> >
> > Probably not but I need to recheck.
>
> IIUC, if a PF_USER_WORKER thread encounters a fault, coredump could get
> triggered in its context. That could cause the above check in
> sync_fpstate() to pass. Maybe I am missing something?

A PF_USER_WORKER can't initiate the coredump, it blocks all signals except
SIGKILL and SIGSTOP. But this doesn't really matter.

First of all, I think that in the long term kthreads and PF_USER_WORKERs
should run without "struct fpu" attached to task_struct, so x86_task_fpu()
should return NULL regardless of CONFIG_X86_DEBUG_FPU in this case. That
is why I like your patch which adds the PF_USER_WORKER check. But this
needs more work.

So. The problem is that do_coredump() paths or ptrace can abuse
PF_USER_WORKER's FPU state for no reason.

To simplify, lets only discuss REGSET64_FP for now. As for xfpregs_get(),
everything looks simple, but needs some preparatory patches. membuf_write()
and copy_xstate_to_uabi_buf() should use &init_fpstate instead of
x86_task_fpu(target)->fpstate when target->flags & PF_USER_WORKER. This
matches the reality.

But what about xfpregs_set() ? Can it simply return, say, -EPERM ?

What do you think?

Oleg.