diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst | 17 |
1 files changed, 13 insertions, 4 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst index c98fd11907cc..6dba18dbb9ab 100644 --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/processor_mmio_stale_data.rst @@ -157,9 +157,7 @@ This is achieved by using the otherwise unused and obsolete VERW instruction in combination with a microcode update. The microcode clears the affected CPU buffers when the VERW instruction is executed. -Kernel reuses the MDS function to invoke the buffer clearing: - - mds_clear_cpu_buffers() +Kernel does the buffer clearing with x86_clear_cpu_buffers(). On MDS affected CPUs, the kernel already invokes CPU buffer clear on kernel/userspace, hypervisor/guest and C-state (idle) transitions. No @@ -225,8 +223,19 @@ The possible values in this file are: * - 'Vulnerable' - The processor is vulnerable, but no mitigation enabled * - 'Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode' - - The processor is vulnerable, but microcode is not updated. The + - The processor is vulnerable but microcode is not updated. The mitigation is enabled on a best effort basis. + + If the processor is vulnerable but the availability of the microcode + based mitigation mechanism is not advertised via CPUID, the kernel + selects a best effort mitigation mode. This mode invokes the mitigation + instructions without a guarantee that they clear the CPU buffers. + + This is done to address virtualization scenarios where the host has the + microcode update applied, but the hypervisor is not yet updated to + expose the CPUID to the guest. If the host has updated microcode the + protection takes effect; otherwise a few CPU cycles are wasted + pointlessly. * - 'Mitigation: Clear CPU buffers' - The processor is vulnerable and the CPU buffer clearing mitigation is enabled. |