Re: [PATCH] x86-64: espfix for 64-bit mode *PROTOTYPE*

Andrew Lutomirski
2014-04-23T17:25:57Z

On Wed, Apr 23, 2014 at 10:16 AM, H. Peter Anvin <hpa@zytor.com> wrote:
> On 04/23/2014 10:08 AM, Andrew Lutomirski wrote:
>>
>> The only way I can see to trigger the race is with sigreturn, but it's
>> still there. Sigh.
>>
>
> I don't see why sigreturn needs to be involved... all you need is
> modify_ldt() on one CPU while the other is in the middle of an IRET
> return. Small window, so hard to hit, but still.
>

If you set the flag as soon as anyone calls modify_ldt, before any
descriptor is installed, then I don't think this can happen. But
there's still sigreturn, and I don't think this is worth all the
complexity to save a single branch on #GP.

>> 2. I've often pondered changing the way we return *to* CPL 0 to bypass
>> iret entirely. It could be something like:
>>
>> SS
>> RSP
>> EFLAGS
>> CS
>> RIP
>>
>> push 16($rsp)
>> popfq [does this need to force rex.w somehow?]
>> ret $64
>
> When you say return to CPL 0 you mean intra-kernel return? That isn't
> really the problem here, though. I think this will also break the
> kernel debugger since it will have the wrong behavior for TF and RF.

I do mean intra-kernel. And yes, this has nothing to do with espfix,
but it would make write_msr_safe fail more quickly :)

--Andy