Re: [PATCH 45/48] x86/Kconfig: Enable CONFIG_PREFIX_SYMBOLS for FineIBT

Josh Poimboeuf
2026-04-23T23:30:47Z

On Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 09:23:12AM -0700, Josh Poimboeuf wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 05:19:25PM +0200, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > On Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 08:16:08AM -0700, Josh Poimboeuf wrote:
> > > On Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 10:47:58AM +0200, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > > > On Wed, Apr 22, 2026 at 09:04:13PM -0700, Josh Poimboeuf wrote:
> > > > > PREFIX_SYMBOLS has a !CFI dependency because the compiler already
> > > > > generates __cfi_ prefix symbols for kCFI builds, so objtool-generated
> > > > > __pfx_ symbols were considered redundant.
> > > > >
> > > > > However, the __cfi_ symbols only cover the 5-byte kCFI type hash. With
> > > > > FUNCTION_CALL_PADDING, there are also 11 bytes of NOP padding between
> > > > > the hash and the function entry which have no symbol to claim them.
> > > >
> > > > If you force the function alignment to 64 bytes, the prefix will also be
> > > > 64bytes, rather than the normal 16.
> > >
> > > Sorry, how do you get 64 here?
> >
> > DEBUG_FORCE_FUNCTION_ALIGNMENT_64B=y
>
> Ok, so in that case it would be 5-byte cfi symbol and 59-byte NOP gap.
> Or a 64-byte pfx for the !CFI case.
>
> > > > > The NOPs can be rewritten with call depth tracking thunks at runtime.
> > > > > Without a symbol, unwinders and other tools that symbolize code
> > > > > locations misattribute those bytes.
> > > > >
> > > > > Remove the !CFI guard so objtool creates __pfx_ symbols for all
> > > > > CALL_PADDING configs, covering the full padding area regardless of
> > > > > whether there's also a __cfi_ symbol.
> > > >
> > > > Egads, that a ton of symbols :/ Does it not make sense to 'fix' up the
> > > > __cfi_ symbols to cover the whole prefix?
> > >
> > > Yeah, I suppose that would be better, via objtool I presume.
> >
> > Yup.

From: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Subject: [PATCH] objtool: Grow __cfi_* symbols for FineIBT

For FineIBT, the __cfi_ symbols only cover the 5-byte kCFI type hash.
After that there also N bytes of NOP padding between the hash and the
function entry which aren't associated with any symbol.

The NOPs can be replaced with actual code at runtime. Without a symbol,
unwinders, objtool, and other tools have no way of knowing where those
bytes belong.

Grow the existing __cfi_* symbols to fill that gap.

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
scripts/Makefile.lib | 2 +-
tools/objtool/check.c | 13 ++++++++++++-
tools/objtool/elf.c | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++
tools/objtool/include/objtool/elf.h | 1 +
4 files changed, 34 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
index 0718e39cedda..baaf9f6c6bb5 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ objtool-args-$(CONFIG_HAVE_JUMP_LABEL_HACK) += --hacks=jump_label
objtool-args-$(CONFIG_HAVE_NOINSTR_HACK) += --hacks=noinstr
objtool-args-$(CONFIG_MITIGATION_CALL_DEPTH_TRACKING) += --hacks=skylake
objtool-args-$(CONFIG_X86_KERNEL_IBT) += --ibt
-objtool-args-$(CONFIG_FINEIBT) += --cfi
+objtool-args-$(CONFIG_FINEIBT) += --cfi --prefix=$(CONFIG_FUNCTION_PADDING_BYTES)
objtool-args-$(CONFIG_FTRACE_MCOUNT_USE_OBJTOOL) += --mcount
ifdef CONFIG_FTRACE_MCOUNT_USE_OBJTOOL
objtool-args-$(CONFIG_HAVE_OBJTOOL_NOP_MCOUNT) += --mnop
diff --git a/tools/objtool/check.c b/tools/objtool/check.c
index 410061aeed26..fb24fd284e09 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/check.c
+++ b/tools/objtool/check.c
@@ -923,6 +923,17 @@ static int create_cfi_sections(struct objtool_file *file)
return -1;

idx++;
+
+ /*
+ * Grow the __cfi_ symbol to fill the NOP gap between the
+ * 'mov <hash>, %rax' and the start of the function.
+ */
+ if (sym->len == 5) {
+ sym->len += opts.prefix;
+ sym->sym.st_size = sym->len;
+ if (elf_write_symbol(file->elf, sym))
+ return -1;
+ }
}

return 0;
@@ -4927,7 +4938,7 @@ int check(struct objtool_file *file)
goto out;
}

- if (opts.prefix) {
+ if (opts.prefix && !opts.cfi) {
ret = create_prefix_symbols(file);
if (ret)
goto out;
diff --git a/tools/objtool/elf.c b/tools/objtool/elf.c
index 2ca1151de815..ede87dd9644c 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/elf.c
+++ b/tools/objtool/elf.c
@@ -983,6 +983,26 @@ struct symbol *elf_create_symbol(struct elf *elf, const char *name,
return sym;
}

+int elf_write_symbol(struct elf *elf, struct symbol *sym)
+{
+ struct section *symtab, *symtab_shndx;
+
+ symtab = find_section_by_name(elf, ".symtab");
+ if (!symtab) {
+ ERROR("no .symtab");
+ return -1;
+ }
+
+ symtab_shndx = find_section_by_name(elf, ".symtab_shndx");
+
+ if (elf_update_symbol(elf, symtab, symtab_shndx, sym))
+ return -1;
+
+ mark_sec_changed(elf, symtab, true);
+
+ return 0;
+}
+
struct symbol *elf_create_section_symbol(struct elf *elf, struct section *sec)
{
struct symbol *sym = calloc(1, sizeof(*sym));
diff --git a/tools/objtool/include/objtool/elf.h b/tools/objtool/include/objtool/elf.h
index 0fd1a9b563e9..4c8a67a68063 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/include/objtool/elf.h
+++ b/tools/objtool/include/objtool/elf.h
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ struct reloc *elf_init_reloc_data_sym(struct elf *elf, struct section *sec,
struct symbol *sym,
s64 addend);

+int elf_write_symbol(struct elf *elf, struct symbol *sym);
int elf_write_insn(struct elf *elf, struct section *sec, unsigned long offset,
unsigned int len, const char *insn);

--
2.53.0