summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/gather_data_sampling.rst109
-rw-r--r--Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst14
-rw-r--r--Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/srso.rst150
3 files changed, 267 insertions, 6 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/gather_data_sampling.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/gather_data_sampling.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..264bfa937f7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/gather_data_sampling.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+GDS - Gather Data Sampling
+==========================
+
+Gather Data Sampling is a hardware vulnerability which allows unprivileged
+speculative access to data which was previously stored in vector registers.
+
+Problem
+-------
+When a gather instruction performs loads from memory, different data elements
+are merged into the destination vector register. However, when a gather
+instruction that is transiently executed encounters a fault, stale data from
+architectural or internal vector registers may get transiently forwarded to the
+destination vector register instead. This will allow a malicious attacker to
+infer stale data using typical side channel techniques like cache timing
+attacks. GDS is a purely sampling-based attack.
+
+The attacker uses gather instructions to infer the stale vector register data.
+The victim does not need to do anything special other than use the vector
+registers. The victim does not need to use gather instructions to be
+vulnerable.
+
+Because the buffers are shared between Hyper-Threads cross Hyper-Thread attacks
+are possible.
+
+Attack scenarios
+----------------
+Without mitigation, GDS can infer stale data across virtually all
+permission boundaries:
+
+ Non-enclaves can infer SGX enclave data
+ Userspace can infer kernel data
+ Guests can infer data from hosts
+ Guest can infer guest from other guests
+ Users can infer data from other users
+
+Because of this, it is important to ensure that the mitigation stays enabled in
+lower-privilege contexts like guests and when running outside SGX enclaves.
+
+The hardware enforces the mitigation for SGX. Likewise, VMMs should ensure
+that guests are not allowed to disable the GDS mitigation. If a host erred and
+allowed this, a guest could theoretically disable GDS mitigation, mount an
+attack, and re-enable it.
+
+Mitigation mechanism
+--------------------
+This issue is mitigated in microcode. The microcode defines the following new
+bits:
+
+ ================================ === ============================
+ IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES[GDS_CTRL] R/O Enumerates GDS vulnerability
+ and mitigation support.
+ IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES[GDS_NO] R/O Processor is not vulnerable.
+ IA32_MCU_OPT_CTRL[GDS_MITG_DIS] R/W Disables the mitigation
+ 0 by default.
+ IA32_MCU_OPT_CTRL[GDS_MITG_LOCK] R/W Locks GDS_MITG_DIS=0. Writes
+ to GDS_MITG_DIS are ignored
+ Can't be cleared once set.
+ ================================ === ============================
+
+GDS can also be mitigated on systems that don't have updated microcode by
+disabling AVX. This can be done by setting gather_data_sampling="force" or
+"clearcpuid=avx" on the kernel command-line.
+
+If used, these options will disable AVX use by turning off XSAVE YMM support.
+However, the processor will still enumerate AVX support. Userspace that
+does not follow proper AVX enumeration to check both AVX *and* XSAVE YMM
+support will break.
+
+Mitigation control on the kernel command line
+---------------------------------------------
+The mitigation can be disabled by setting "gather_data_sampling=off" or
+"mitigations=off" on the kernel command line. Not specifying either will default
+to the mitigation being enabled. Specifying "gather_data_sampling=force" will
+use the microcode mitigation when available or disable AVX on affected systems
+where the microcode hasn't been updated to include the mitigation.
+
+GDS System Information
+------------------------
+The kernel provides vulnerability status information through sysfs. For
+GDS this can be accessed by the following sysfs file:
+
+/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/gather_data_sampling
+
+The possible values contained in this file are:
+
+ ============================== =============================================
+ Not affected Processor not vulnerable.
+ Vulnerable Processor vulnerable and mitigation disabled.
+ Vulnerable: No microcode Processor vulnerable and microcode is missing
+ mitigation.
+ Mitigation: AVX disabled,
+ no microcode Processor is vulnerable and microcode is missing
+ mitigation. AVX disabled as mitigation.
+ Mitigation: Microcode Processor is vulnerable and mitigation is in
+ effect.
+ Mitigation: Microcode (locked) Processor is vulnerable and mitigation is in
+ effect and cannot be disabled.
+ Unknown: Dependent on
+ hypervisor status Running on a virtual guest processor that is
+ affected but with no way to know if host
+ processor is mitigated or vulnerable.
+ ============================== =============================================
+
+GDS Default mitigation
+----------------------
+The updated microcode will enable the mitigation by default. The kernel's
+default action is to leave the mitigation enabled.
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
index e0614760a99e..de99caabf65a 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
@@ -13,9 +13,11 @@ are configurable at compile, boot or run time.
l1tf
mds
tsx_async_abort
- multihit.rst
- special-register-buffer-data-sampling.rst
- core-scheduling.rst
- l1d_flush.rst
- processor_mmio_stale_data.rst
- cross-thread-rsb.rst
+ multihit
+ special-register-buffer-data-sampling
+ core-scheduling
+ l1d_flush
+ processor_mmio_stale_data
+ cross-thread-rsb
+ srso
+ gather_data_sampling
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/srso.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/srso.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b6cfb51cb0b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/srso.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+Speculative Return Stack Overflow (SRSO)
+========================================
+
+This is a mitigation for the speculative return stack overflow (SRSO)
+vulnerability found on AMD processors. The mechanism is by now the well
+known scenario of poisoning CPU functional units - the Branch Target
+Buffer (BTB) and Return Address Predictor (RAP) in this case - and then
+tricking the elevated privilege domain (the kernel) into leaking
+sensitive data.
+
+AMD CPUs predict RET instructions using a Return Address Predictor (aka
+Return Address Stack/Return Stack Buffer). In some cases, a non-architectural
+CALL instruction (i.e., an instruction predicted to be a CALL but is
+not actually a CALL) can create an entry in the RAP which may be used
+to predict the target of a subsequent RET instruction.
+
+The specific circumstances that lead to this varies by microarchitecture
+but the concern is that an attacker can mis-train the CPU BTB to predict
+non-architectural CALL instructions in kernel space and use this to
+control the speculative target of a subsequent kernel RET, potentially
+leading to information disclosure via a speculative side-channel.
+
+The issue is tracked under CVE-2023-20569.
+
+Affected processors
+-------------------
+
+AMD Zen, generations 1-4. That is, all families 0x17 and 0x19. Older
+processors have not been investigated.
+
+System information and options
+------------------------------
+
+First of all, it is required that the latest microcode be loaded for
+mitigations to be effective.
+
+The sysfs file showing SRSO mitigation status is:
+
+ /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/spec_rstack_overflow
+
+The possible values in this file are:
+
+ * 'Not affected':
+
+ The processor is not vulnerable
+
+ * 'Vulnerable: no microcode':
+
+ The processor is vulnerable, no microcode extending IBPB
+ functionality to address the vulnerability has been applied.
+
+ * 'Mitigation: microcode':
+
+ Extended IBPB functionality microcode patch has been applied. It does
+ not address User->Kernel and Guest->Host transitions protection but it
+ does address User->User and VM->VM attack vectors.
+
+ Note that User->User mitigation is controlled by how the IBPB aspect in
+ the Spectre v2 mitigation is selected:
+
+ * conditional IBPB:
+
+ where each process can select whether it needs an IBPB issued
+ around it PR_SPEC_DISABLE/_ENABLE etc, see :doc:`spectre`
+
+ * strict:
+
+ i.e., always on - by supplying spectre_v2_user=on on the kernel
+ command line
+
+ (spec_rstack_overflow=microcode)
+
+ * 'Mitigation: safe RET':
+
+ Software-only mitigation. It complements the extended IBPB microcode
+ patch functionality by addressing User->Kernel and Guest->Host
+ transitions protection.
+
+ Selected by default or by spec_rstack_overflow=safe-ret
+
+ * 'Mitigation: IBPB':
+
+ Similar protection as "safe RET" above but employs an IBPB barrier on
+ privilege domain crossings (User->Kernel, Guest->Host).
+
+ (spec_rstack_overflow=ibpb)
+
+ * 'Mitigation: IBPB on VMEXIT':
+
+ Mitigation addressing the cloud provider scenario - the Guest->Host
+ transitions only.
+
+ (spec_rstack_overflow=ibpb-vmexit)
+
+
+
+In order to exploit vulnerability, an attacker needs to:
+
+ - gain local access on the machine
+
+ - break kASLR
+
+ - find gadgets in the running kernel in order to use them in the exploit
+
+ - potentially create and pin an additional workload on the sibling
+ thread, depending on the microarchitecture (not necessary on fam 0x19)
+
+ - run the exploit
+
+Considering the performance implications of each mitigation type, the
+default one is 'Mitigation: safe RET' which should take care of most
+attack vectors, including the local User->Kernel one.
+
+As always, the user is advised to keep her/his system up-to-date by
+applying software updates regularly.
+
+The default setting will be reevaluated when needed and especially when
+new attack vectors appear.
+
+As one can surmise, 'Mitigation: safe RET' does come at the cost of some
+performance depending on the workload. If one trusts her/his userspace
+and does not want to suffer the performance impact, one can always
+disable the mitigation with spec_rstack_overflow=off.
+
+Similarly, 'Mitigation: IBPB' is another full mitigation type employing
+an indrect branch prediction barrier after having applied the required
+microcode patch for one's system. This mitigation comes also at
+a performance cost.
+
+Mitigation: safe RET
+--------------------
+
+The mitigation works by ensuring all RET instructions speculate to
+a controlled location, similar to how speculation is controlled in the
+retpoline sequence. To accomplish this, the __x86_return_thunk forces
+the CPU to mispredict every function return using a 'safe return'
+sequence.
+
+To ensure the safety of this mitigation, the kernel must ensure that the
+safe return sequence is itself free from attacker interference. In Zen3
+and Zen4, this is accomplished by creating a BTB alias between the
+untraining function srso_alias_untrain_ret() and the safe return
+function srso_alias_safe_ret() which results in evicting a potentially
+poisoned BTB entry and using that safe one for all function returns.
+
+In older Zen1 and Zen2, this is accomplished using a reinterpretation
+technique similar to Retbleed one: srso_untrain_ret() and
+srso_safe_ret().