[PATCH v4 0/6] x86/bugs: RSB mitigation fixes and documentation

[PATCH v4 0/6] x86/bugs: RSB mitigation fixes and documentation

[Josh Poimboeuf]

v4:
- improve document
- remove C++ comment
- "__write_ibpb" -> "write-ibpb"
- improve commit logs

v3: https://lore.kernel.org/cover.1743617897.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org

Josh Poimboeuf (6):
  x86/bugs: Rename entry_ibpb() to write_ibpb()
  x86/bugs: Use SBPB in write_ibpb() if applicable
  x86/bugs: Fix RSB clearing in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()
  x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline
  x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on context switch with eIBRS
  x86/bugs: Add RSB mitigation document

 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst |   1 +
 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst   | 268 ++++++++++++++++++++
 arch/x86/entry/entry.S                      |   9 +-
 arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h        |  12 +-
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c                  | 107 +++-----
 arch/x86/mm/tlb.c                           |   6 +-
 6 files changed, 317 insertions(+), 86 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst

-- 
2.49.0

[PATCH v4 1/6] x86/bugs: Rename entry_ibpb() to write_ibpb()

[Josh Poimboeuf]

There's nothing entry-specific about entry_ibpb().  In preparation for
calling it from elsewhere, rename it to write_ibpb().

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 arch/x86/entry/entry.S               | 7 ++++---
 arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h | 6 +++---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c           | 6 +++---
 3 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
index d3caa31240ed..cabe65ac8379 100644
--- a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
+++ b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 
 .pushsection .noinstr.text, "ax"
 
-SYM_FUNC_START(entry_ibpb)
+/* Clobbers AX, CX, DX */
+SYM_FUNC_START(write_ibpb)
 	ANNOTATE_NOENDBR
 	movl	$MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, %ecx
 	movl	$PRED_CMD_IBPB, %eax
@@ -27,9 +28,9 @@ SYM_FUNC_START(entry_ibpb)
 	/* Make sure IBPB clears return stack preductions too. */
 	FILL_RETURN_BUFFER %rax, RSB_CLEAR_LOOPS, X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET
 	RET
-SYM_FUNC_END(entry_ibpb)
+SYM_FUNC_END(write_ibpb)
 /* For KVM */
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(entry_ibpb);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(write_ibpb);
 
 .popsection
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
index 8a5cc8e70439..591d1dbca60a 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@
  * typically has NO_MELTDOWN).
  *
  * While retbleed_untrain_ret() doesn't clobber anything but requires stack,
- * entry_ibpb() will clobber AX, CX, DX.
+ * write_ibpb() will clobber AX, CX, DX.
  *
  * As such, this must be placed after every *SWITCH_TO_KERNEL_CR3 at a point
  * where we have a stack but before any RET instruction.
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@
 	VALIDATE_UNRET_END
 	CALL_UNTRAIN_RET
 	ALTERNATIVE_2 "",						\
-		      "call entry_ibpb", \ibpb_feature,			\
+		      "call write_ibpb", \ibpb_feature,			\
 		     __stringify(\call_depth_insns), X86_FEATURE_CALL_DEPTH
 #endif
 .endm
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ extern void srso_return_thunk(void);
 extern void srso_alias_return_thunk(void);
 
 extern void entry_untrain_ret(void);
-extern void entry_ibpb(void);
+extern void write_ibpb(void);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
 extern void clear_bhb_loop(void);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 4386aa6c69e1..608bbe6cf730 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1142,7 +1142,7 @@ static void __init retbleed_select_mitigation(void)
 		setup_clear_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RETHUNK);
 
 		/*
-		 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+		 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 		 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 		 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 		 */
@@ -2676,7 +2676,7 @@ static void __init srso_select_mitigation(void)
 				setup_clear_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RETHUNK);
 
 				/*
-				 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+				 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 				 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 				 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 				 */
@@ -2701,7 +2701,7 @@ static void __init srso_select_mitigation(void)
 				srso_mitigation = SRSO_MITIGATION_IBPB_ON_VMEXIT;
 
 				/*
-				 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+				 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 				 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 				 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 				 */
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Rename entry_ibpb() to write_ibpb()

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     13235d6d50bba99931c4392c0f813cfae0de3eac
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/13235d6d50bba99931c4392c0f813cfae0de3eac
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:30 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:41:29 +02:00

x86/bugs: Rename entry_ibpb() to write_ibpb()

There's nothing entry-specific about entry_ibpb().  In preparation for
calling it from elsewhere, rename it to write_ibpb().

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/1e54ace131e79b760de3fe828264e26d0896e3ac.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/entry/entry.S               | 7 ++++---
 arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h | 6 +++---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c           | 6 +++---
 3 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
index d3caa31..cabe65a 100644
--- a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
+++ b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 
 .pushsection .noinstr.text, "ax"
 
-SYM_FUNC_START(entry_ibpb)
+/* Clobbers AX, CX, DX */
+SYM_FUNC_START(write_ibpb)
 	ANNOTATE_NOENDBR
 	movl	$MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, %ecx
 	movl	$PRED_CMD_IBPB, %eax
@@ -27,9 +28,9 @@ SYM_FUNC_START(entry_ibpb)
 	/* Make sure IBPB clears return stack preductions too. */
 	FILL_RETURN_BUFFER %rax, RSB_CLEAR_LOOPS, X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET
 	RET
-SYM_FUNC_END(entry_ibpb)
+SYM_FUNC_END(write_ibpb)
 /* For KVM */
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(entry_ibpb);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(write_ibpb);
 
 .popsection
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
index 8a5cc8e..591d1db 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@
  * typically has NO_MELTDOWN).
  *
  * While retbleed_untrain_ret() doesn't clobber anything but requires stack,
- * entry_ibpb() will clobber AX, CX, DX.
+ * write_ibpb() will clobber AX, CX, DX.
  *
  * As such, this must be placed after every *SWITCH_TO_KERNEL_CR3 at a point
  * where we have a stack but before any RET instruction.
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@
 	VALIDATE_UNRET_END
 	CALL_UNTRAIN_RET
 	ALTERNATIVE_2 "",						\
-		      "call entry_ibpb", \ibpb_feature,			\
+		      "call write_ibpb", \ibpb_feature,			\
 		     __stringify(\call_depth_insns), X86_FEATURE_CALL_DEPTH
 #endif
 .endm
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ extern void srso_return_thunk(void);
 extern void srso_alias_return_thunk(void);
 
 extern void entry_untrain_ret(void);
-extern void entry_ibpb(void);
+extern void write_ibpb(void);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
 extern void clear_bhb_loop(void);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 4386aa6..608bbe6 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1142,7 +1142,7 @@ do_cmd_auto:
 		setup_clear_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RETHUNK);
 
 		/*
-		 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+		 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 		 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 		 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 		 */
@@ -2676,7 +2676,7 @@ static void __init srso_select_mitigation(void)
 				setup_clear_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RETHUNK);
 
 				/*
-				 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+				 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 				 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 				 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 				 */
@@ -2701,7 +2701,7 @@ ibpb_on_vmexit:
 				srso_mitigation = SRSO_MITIGATION_IBPB_ON_VMEXIT;
 
 				/*
-				 * There is no need for RSB filling: entry_ibpb() ensures
+				 * There is no need for RSB filling: write_ibpb() ensures
 				 * all predictions, including the RSB, are invalidated,
 				 * regardless of IBPB implementation.
 				 */

[PATCH v4 2/6] x86/bugs: Use SBPB in write_ibpb() if applicable

[Josh Poimboeuf]

write_ibpb() does IBPB, which (among other things) flushes branch type
predictions on AMD.  If the CPU has SRSO_NO, or if the SRSO mitigation
has been disabled, branch type flushing isn't needed, in which case the
lighter-weight SBPB can be used.

The 'x86_pred_cmd' variable already keeps track of whether IBPB or SBPB
should be used.  Use that instead of hardcoding IBPB.

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 arch/x86/entry/entry.S | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
index cabe65ac8379..175958b02f2b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
+++ b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 SYM_FUNC_START(write_ibpb)
 	ANNOTATE_NOENDBR
 	movl	$MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, %ecx
-	movl	$PRED_CMD_IBPB, %eax
+	movl	_ASM_RIP(x86_pred_cmd), %eax
 	xorl	%edx, %edx
 	wrmsr
 
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Use SBPB in write_ibpb() if applicable

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     fc9fd3f98423367c79e0bd85a9515df26dc1b3cc
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/fc9fd3f98423367c79e0bd85a9515df26dc1b3cc
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:31 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:41:30 +02:00

x86/bugs: Use SBPB in write_ibpb() if applicable

write_ibpb() does IBPB, which (among other things) flushes branch type
predictions on AMD.  If the CPU has SRSO_NO, or if the SRSO mitigation
has been disabled, branch type flushing isn't needed, in which case the
lighter-weight SBPB can be used.

The 'x86_pred_cmd' variable already keeps track of whether IBPB or SBPB
should be used.  Use that instead of hardcoding IBPB.

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/17c5dcd14b29199b75199d67ff7758de9d9a4928.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/entry/entry.S | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
index cabe65a..175958b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
+++ b/arch/x86/entry/entry.S
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 SYM_FUNC_START(write_ibpb)
 	ANNOTATE_NOENDBR
 	movl	$MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, %ecx
-	movl	$PRED_CMD_IBPB, %eax
+	movl	_ASM_RIP(x86_pred_cmd), %eax
 	xorl	%edx, %edx
 	wrmsr
 

[PATCH v4 3/6] x86/bugs: Fix RSB clearing in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()

[Josh Poimboeuf]

IBPB is expected to clear the RSB.  However, if X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET is
set, that doesn't happen.  Make indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()
take that into account by calling write_ibpb() which clears RSB on
X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET:

 	/* Make sure IBPB clears return stack preductions too. */
 	FILL_RETURN_BUFFER %rax, RSB_CLEAR_LOOPS, X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET

Note that, as of the previous patch, write_ibpb() also reads
'x86_pred_cmd' in order to use SBPB when applicable:

	movl	_ASM_RIP(x86_pred_cmd), %eax

Therefore that existing behavior in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()
is not lost.

Fixes: 50e4b3b94090 ("x86/entry: Have entry_ibpb() invalidate return predictions")
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h | 6 +++---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c           | 1 -
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
index 591d1dbca60a..5c43f145454d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
@@ -514,11 +514,11 @@ void alternative_msr_write(unsigned int msr, u64 val, unsigned int feature)
 		: "memory");
 }
 
-extern u64 x86_pred_cmd;
-
 static inline void indirect_branch_prediction_barrier(void)
 {
-	alternative_msr_write(MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, x86_pred_cmd, X86_FEATURE_IBPB);
+	asm_inline volatile(ALTERNATIVE("", "call write_ibpb", X86_FEATURE_IBPB)
+			    : ASM_CALL_CONSTRAINT
+			    :: "rax", "rcx", "rdx", "memory");
 }
 
 /* The Intel SPEC CTRL MSR base value cache */
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 608bbe6cf730..99265098d045 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ DEFINE_PER_CPU(u64, x86_spec_ctrl_current);
 EXPORT_PER_CPU_SYMBOL_GPL(x86_spec_ctrl_current);
 
 u64 x86_pred_cmd __ro_after_init = PRED_CMD_IBPB;
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(x86_pred_cmd);
 
 static u64 __ro_after_init x86_arch_cap_msr;
 
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Fix RSB clearing in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     b1b19cfcf4656c75088dc06b7499f493e0dec3e5
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/b1b19cfcf4656c75088dc06b7499f493e0dec3e5
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:32 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:41:30 +02:00

x86/bugs: Fix RSB clearing in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()

IBPB is expected to clear the RSB.  However, if X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET is
set, that doesn't happen.  Make indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()
take that into account by calling write_ibpb() which clears RSB on
X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET:

	/* Make sure IBPB clears return stack preductions too. */
	FILL_RETURN_BUFFER %rax, RSB_CLEAR_LOOPS, X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET

Note that, as of the previous patch, write_ibpb() also reads
'x86_pred_cmd' in order to use SBPB when applicable:

	movl	_ASM_RIP(x86_pred_cmd), %eax

Therefore that existing behavior in indirect_branch_prediction_barrier()
is not lost.

Fixes: 50e4b3b94090 ("x86/entry: Have entry_ibpb() invalidate return predictions")
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/bba68888c511743d4cd65564d1fc41438907523f.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h | 6 +++---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c           | 1 -
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
index 591d1db..5c43f14 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
@@ -514,11 +514,11 @@ void alternative_msr_write(unsigned int msr, u64 val, unsigned int feature)
 		: "memory");
 }
 
-extern u64 x86_pred_cmd;
-
 static inline void indirect_branch_prediction_barrier(void)
 {
-	alternative_msr_write(MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD, x86_pred_cmd, X86_FEATURE_IBPB);
+	asm_inline volatile(ALTERNATIVE("", "call write_ibpb", X86_FEATURE_IBPB)
+			    : ASM_CALL_CONSTRAINT
+			    :: "rax", "rcx", "rdx", "memory");
 }
 
 /* The Intel SPEC CTRL MSR base value cache */
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 608bbe6..9926509 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ DEFINE_PER_CPU(u64, x86_spec_ctrl_current);
 EXPORT_PER_CPU_SYMBOL_GPL(x86_spec_ctrl_current);
 
 u64 x86_pred_cmd __ro_after_init = PRED_CMD_IBPB;
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(x86_pred_cmd);
 
 static u64 __ro_after_init x86_arch_cap_msr;
 

[PATCH v4 4/6] x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline

[Josh Poimboeuf]

eIBRS protects against guest->host RSB underflow/poisoning attacks.
Adding retpoline to the mix doesn't change that.  Retpoline has a
balanced CALL/RET anyway.

So the current full RSB filling on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline is
overkill.  Disable it or do the VMEXIT_LITE mitigation if needed.

Suggested-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@amd.com>
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c | 8 ++++----
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 99265098d045..a10b37bb747e 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1617,20 +1617,20 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
 		return;
 
-	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS:
+	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
+	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_RETPOLINE:
 		if (boot_cpu_has_bug(X86_BUG_EIBRS_PBRSB)) {
-			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 			pr_info("Spectre v2 / PBRSB-eIBRS: Retire a single CALL on VMEXIT\n");
+			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 		}
 		return;
 
-	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_IBRS:
-		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
 		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB : Filling RSB on VMEXIT\n");
+		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
 		return;
 	}
 
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     18bae0dfec15b24ec14ca17dc18603372f5f254f
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/18bae0dfec15b24ec14ca17dc18603372f5f254f
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:33 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:41:55 +02:00

x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline

eIBRS protects against guest->host RSB underflow/poisoning attacks.
Adding retpoline to the mix doesn't change that.  Retpoline has a
balanced CALL/RET anyway.

So the current full RSB filling on VMEXIT with eIBRS+retpoline is
overkill.  Disable it or do the VMEXIT_LITE mitigation if needed.

Suggested-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@amd.com>
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Cc: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
Cc: Vitaly Kuznetsov <vkuznets@redhat.com>
Cc: Sean Christopherson <seanjc@google.com>
Cc: David Woodhouse <dwmw2@infradead.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/84a1226e5c9e2698eae1b5ade861f1b8bf3677dc.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c | 8 ++++----
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index 9926509..a10b37b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1617,20 +1617,20 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
 		return;
 
-	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS:
+	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
+	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_RETPOLINE:
 		if (boot_cpu_has_bug(X86_BUG_EIBRS_PBRSB)) {
-			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 			pr_info("Spectre v2 / PBRSB-eIBRS: Retire a single CALL on VMEXIT\n");
+			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 		}
 		return;
 
-	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_IBRS:
-		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
 		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB : Filling RSB on VMEXIT\n");
+		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
 		return;
 	}
 

[PATCH v4 5/6] x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on context switch with eIBRS

[Josh Poimboeuf]

User->user Spectre v2 attacks (including RSB) across context switches
are already mitigated by IBPB in cond_mitigation(), if enabled globally
or if either the prev or the next task has opted in to protection.  RSB
filling without IBPB serves no purpose for protecting user space, as
indirect branches are still vulnerable.

User->kernel RSB attacks are mitigated by eIBRS.  In which case the RSB
filling on context switch isn't needed, so remove it.

Suggested-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@amd.com>
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c | 24 ++++++++++++------------
 arch/x86/mm/tlb.c          |  6 +++---
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index a10b37bb747e..e2a672f925e3 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1591,7 +1591,7 @@ static void __init spec_ctrl_disable_kernel_rrsba(void)
 	rrsba_disabled = true;
 }
 
-static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
+static void __init spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
 {
 	/*
 	 * Similar to context switches, there are two types of RSB attacks
@@ -1615,7 +1615,7 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 	 */
 	switch (mode) {
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
@@ -1624,18 +1624,21 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 			pr_info("Spectre v2 / PBRSB-eIBRS: Retire a single CALL on VMEXIT\n");
 			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 		}
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case SPECTRE_V2_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_IBRS:
-		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB : Filling RSB on VMEXIT\n");
+		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB: Filling RSB on context switch and VMEXIT\n");
+		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_CTXSW);
 		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
-		return;
-	}
+		break;
 
-	pr_warn_once("Unknown Spectre v2 mode, disabling RSB mitigation at VM exit");
-	dump_stack();
+	default:
+		pr_warn_once("Unknown Spectre v2 mode, disabling RSB mitigation\n");
+		dump_stack();
+		break;
+	}
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1867,10 +1870,7 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_select_mitigation(void)
 	 *
 	 * FIXME: Is this pointless for retbleed-affected AMD?
 	 */
-	setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_CTXSW);
-	pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB mitigation: Filling RSB on context switch\n");
-
-	spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(mode);
+	spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(mode);
 
 	/*
 	 * Retpoline protects the kernel, but doesn't protect firmware.  IBRS
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
index d00ae21d0ee2..482b796f5243 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
@@ -672,9 +672,9 @@ static void cond_mitigation(struct task_struct *next)
 	prev_mm = this_cpu_read(cpu_tlbstate.last_user_mm_spec);
 
 	/*
-	 * Avoid user/user BTB poisoning by flushing the branch predictor
-	 * when switching between processes. This stops one process from
-	 * doing Spectre-v2 attacks on another.
+	 * Avoid user->user BTB/RSB poisoning by flushing them when switching
+	 * between processes. This stops one process from doing Spectre-v2
+	 * attacks on another.
 	 *
 	 * Both, the conditional and the always IBPB mode use the mm
 	 * pointer to avoid the IBPB when switching between tasks of the
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on context switch with eIBRS

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     27ce8299bc1ec6df8306073785ff82b30b3cc5ee
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/27ce8299bc1ec6df8306073785ff82b30b3cc5ee
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:34 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:42:09 +02:00

x86/bugs: Don't fill RSB on context switch with eIBRS

User->user Spectre v2 attacks (including RSB) across context switches
are already mitigated by IBPB in cond_mitigation(), if enabled globally
or if either the prev or the next task has opted in to protection.  RSB
filling without IBPB serves no purpose for protecting user space, as
indirect branches are still vulnerable.

User->kernel RSB attacks are mitigated by eIBRS.  In which case the RSB
filling on context switch isn't needed, so remove it.

Suggested-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@linux.intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@amd.com>
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Borisov <nik.borisov@suse.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/98cdefe42180358efebf78e3b80752850c7a3e1b.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c | 24 ++++++++++++------------
 arch/x86/mm/tlb.c          |  6 +++---
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index a10b37b..e2a672f 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1591,7 +1591,7 @@ static void __init spec_ctrl_disable_kernel_rrsba(void)
 	rrsba_disabled = true;
 }
 
-static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
+static void __init spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
 {
 	/*
 	 * Similar to context switches, there are two types of RSB attacks
@@ -1615,7 +1615,7 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 	 */
 	switch (mode) {
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_EIBRS_LFENCE:
@@ -1624,18 +1624,21 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(enum spectre_v2_
 			pr_info("Spectre v2 / PBRSB-eIBRS: Retire a single CALL on VMEXIT\n");
 			setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT_LITE);
 		}
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case SPECTRE_V2_RETPOLINE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_LFENCE:
 	case SPECTRE_V2_IBRS:
-		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB : Filling RSB on VMEXIT\n");
+		pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB: Filling RSB on context switch and VMEXIT\n");
+		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_CTXSW);
 		setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_VMEXIT);
-		return;
-	}
+		break;
 
-	pr_warn_once("Unknown Spectre v2 mode, disabling RSB mitigation at VM exit");
-	dump_stack();
+	default:
+		pr_warn_once("Unknown Spectre v2 mode, disabling RSB mitigation\n");
+		dump_stack();
+		break;
+	}
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1867,10 +1870,7 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_select_mitigation(void)
 	 *
 	 * FIXME: Is this pointless for retbleed-affected AMD?
 	 */
-	setup_force_cpu_cap(X86_FEATURE_RSB_CTXSW);
-	pr_info("Spectre v2 / SpectreRSB mitigation: Filling RSB on context switch\n");
-
-	spectre_v2_determine_rsb_fill_type_at_vmexit(mode);
+	spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(mode);
 
 	/*
 	 * Retpoline protects the kernel, but doesn't protect firmware.  IBRS
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
index e459d97..eb83348 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/tlb.c
@@ -667,9 +667,9 @@ static void cond_mitigation(struct task_struct *next)
 	prev_mm = this_cpu_read(cpu_tlbstate.last_user_mm_spec);
 
 	/*
-	 * Avoid user/user BTB poisoning by flushing the branch predictor
-	 * when switching between processes. This stops one process from
-	 * doing Spectre-v2 attacks on another.
+	 * Avoid user->user BTB/RSB poisoning by flushing them when switching
+	 * between processes. This stops one process from doing Spectre-v2
+	 * attacks on another.
 	 *
 	 * Both, the conditional and the always IBPB mode use the mm
 	 * pointer to avoid the IBPB when switching between tasks of the

[PATCH v4 6/6] x86/bugs: Add RSB mitigation document

[Josh Poimboeuf]

Create a document to summarize hard-earned knowledge about RSB-related
mitigations, with references, and replace the overly verbose yet
incomplete comments with a reference to the document.

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
---
 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst |   1 +
 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst   | 268 ++++++++++++++++++++
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c                  |  64 +----
 3 files changed, 282 insertions(+), 51 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
index ff0b440ef2dc..451874b8135d 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
@@ -22,3 +22,4 @@ are configurable at compile, boot or run time.
    srso
    gather_data_sampling
    reg-file-data-sampling
+   rsb
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..21dbf9cf25f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=======================
+RSB-related mitigations
+=======================
+
+.. warning::
+   Please keep this document up-to-date, otherwise you will be
+   volunteered to update it and convert it to a very long comment in
+   bugs.c!
+
+Since 2018 there have been many Spectre CVEs related to the Return Stack
+Buffer (RSB) (sometimes referred to as the Return Address Stack (RAS) or
+Return Address Predictor (RAP) on AMD).
+
+Information about these CVEs and how to mitigate them is scattered
+amongst a myriad of microarchitecture-specific documents.
+
+This document attempts to consolidate all the relevant information in
+once place and clarify the reasoning behind the current RSB-related
+mitigations.  It's meant to be as concise as possible, focused only on
+the current kernel mitigations: what are the RSB-related attack vectors
+and how are they currently being mitigated?
+
+It's *not* meant to describe how the RSB mechanism operates or how the
+exploits work.  More details about those can be found in the references
+below.
+
+Rather, this is basically a glorified comment, but too long to actually
+be one.  So when the next CVE comes along, a kernel developer can
+quickly refer to this as a refresher to see what we're actually doing
+and why.
+
+At a high level, there are two classes of RSB attacks: RSB poisoning
+(Intel and AMD) and RSB underflow (Intel only).  They must each be
+considered individually for each attack vector (and microarchitecture
+where applicable).
+
+----
+
+RSB poisoning (Intel and AMD)
+=============================
+
+SpectreRSB
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+RSB poisoning is a technique used by SpectreRSB [#spectre-rsb]_ where
+an attacker poisons an RSB entry to cause a victim's return instruction
+to speculate to an attacker-controlled address.  This can happen when
+there are unbalanced CALLs/RETs after a context switch or VMEXIT.
+
+* All attack vectors can potentially be mitigated by flushing out any
+  poisoned RSB entries using an RSB filling sequence
+  [#intel-rsb-filling]_ [#amd-rsb-filling]_ when transitioning between
+  untrusted and trusted domains.  But this has a performance impact and
+  should be avoided whenever possible.
+
+  .. DANGER::
+     **FIXME**: Currently we're flushing 32 entries.  However, some CPU
+     models have more than 32 entries.  The loop count needs to be
+     increased for those.  More detailed information is needed about RSB
+     sizes.
+
+* On context switch, the user->user mitigation requires ensuring the
+  RSB gets filled or cleared whenever IBPB gets written [#cond-ibpb]_
+  during a context switch:
+
+  * AMD:
+	On Zen 4+, IBPB (or SBPB [#amd-sbpb]_ if used) clears the RSB.
+	This is indicated by IBPB_RET in CPUID [#amd-ibpb-rsb]_.
+
+	On Zen < 4, the RSB filling sequence [#amd-rsb-filling]_ must be
+	always be done in addition to IBPB [#amd-ibpb-no-rsb]_.  This is
+	indicated by X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET.
+
+  * Intel:
+	IBPB always clears the RSB:
+
+	"Software that executed before the IBPB command cannot control
+	the predicted targets of indirect branches executed after the
+	command on the same logical processor. The term indirect branch
+	in this context includes near return instructions, so these
+	predicted targets may come from the RSB." [#intel-ibpb-rsb]_
+
+* On context switch, user->kernel attacks are prevented by SMEP.  User
+  space can only insert user space addresses into the RSB.  Even
+  non-canonical addresses can't be inserted due to the page gap at the
+  end of the user canonical address space reserved by TASK_SIZE_MAX.
+  A SMEP #PF at instruction fetch prevents the kernel from speculatively
+  executing user space.
+
+  * AMD:
+	"Finally, branches that are predicted as 'ret' instructions get
+	their predicted targets from the Return Address Predictor (RAP).
+	AMD recommends software use a RAP stuffing sequence (mitigation
+	V2-3 in [2]) and/or Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP)
+	to ensure that the addresses in the RAP are safe for
+	speculation. Collectively, we refer to these mitigations as "RAP
+	Protection"." [#amd-smep-rsb]_
+
+  * Intel:
+	"On processors with enhanced IBRS, an RSB overwrite sequence may
+	not suffice to prevent the predicted target of a near return
+	from using an RSB entry created in a less privileged predictor
+	mode.  Software can prevent this by enabling SMEP (for
+	transitions from user mode to supervisor mode) and by having
+	IA32_SPEC_CTRL.IBRS set during VM exits." [#intel-smep-rsb]_
+
+* On VMEXIT, guest->host attacks are mitigated by eIBRS (and PBRSB
+  mitigation if needed):
+
+  * AMD:
+	"When Automatic IBRS is enabled, the internal return address
+	stack used for return address predictions is cleared on VMEXIT."
+	[#amd-eibrs-vmexit]_
+
+  * Intel:
+	"On processors with enhanced IBRS, an RSB overwrite sequence may
+	not suffice to prevent the predicted target of a near return
+	from using an RSB entry created in a less privileged predictor
+	mode.  Software can prevent this by enabling SMEP (for
+	transitions from user mode to supervisor mode) and by having
+	IA32_SPEC_CTRL.IBRS set during VM exits. Processors with
+	enhanced IBRS still support the usage model where IBRS is set
+	only in the OS/VMM for OSes that enable SMEP. To do this, such
+	processors will ensure that guest behavior cannot control the
+	RSB after a VM exit once IBRS is set, even if IBRS was not set
+	at the time of the VM exit." [#intel-eibrs-vmexit]_
+
+    Note that some Intel CPUs are susceptible to Post-barrier Return
+    Stack Buffer Predictions (PBRSB) [#intel-pbrsb]_, where the last
+    CALL from the guest can be used to predict the first unbalanced RET.
+    In this case the PBRSB mitigation is needed in addition to eIBRS.
+
+AMD RETBleed / SRSO / Branch Type Confusion
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+On AMD, poisoned RSB entries can also be created by the AMD RETBleed
+variant [#retbleed-paper]_ [#amd-btc]_ or by Speculative Return Stack
+Overflow [#amd-srso]_ (Inception [#inception-paper]_).  The kernel
+protects itself by replacing every RET in the kernel with a branch to a
+single safe RET.
+
+----
+
+RSB underflow (Intel only)
+==========================
+
+RSB Alternate (RSBA) ("Intel Retbleed")
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Some Intel Skylake-generation CPUs are susceptible to the Intel variant
+of RETBleed [#retbleed-paper]_ (Return Stack Buffer Underflow
+[#intel-rsbu]_).  If a RET is executed when the RSB buffer is empty due
+to mismatched CALLs/RETs or returning from a deep call stack, the branch
+predictor can fall back to using the Branch Target Buffer (BTB).  If a
+user forces a BTB collision then the RET can speculatively branch to a
+user-controlled address.
+
+* Note that RSB filling doesn't fully mitigate this issue.  If there
+  are enough unbalanced RETs, the RSB may still underflow and fall back
+  to using a poisoned BTB entry.
+
+* On context switch, user->user underflow attacks are mitigated by the
+  conditional IBPB [#cond-ibpb]_ on context switch which effectively
+  clears the BTB:
+
+  * "The indirect branch predictor barrier (IBPB) is an indirect branch
+    control mechanism that establishes a barrier, preventing software
+    that executed before the barrier from controlling the predicted
+    targets of indirect branches executed after the barrier on the same
+    logical processor." [#intel-ibpb-btb]_
+
+* On context switch and VMEXIT, user->kernel and guest->host RSB
+  underflows are mitigated by IBRS or eIBRS:
+
+  * "Enabling IBRS (including enhanced IBRS) will mitigate the "RSBU"
+    attack demonstrated by the researchers. As previously documented,
+    Intel recommends the use of enhanced IBRS, where supported. This
+    includes any processor that enumerates RRSBA but not RRSBA_DIS_S."
+    [#intel-rsbu]_
+
+  However, note that eIBRS and IBRS do not mitigate intra-mode attacks.
+  Like RRSBA below, this is mitigated by clearing the BHB on kernel
+  entry.
+
+  As an alternative to classic IBRS, call depth tracking (combined with
+  retpolines) can be used to track kernel returns and fill the RSB when
+  it gets close to being empty.
+
+Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Some newer Intel CPUs have Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA) behavior,
+which, similar to RSBA described above, also falls back to using the BTB
+on RSB underflow.  The only difference is that the predicted targets are
+restricted to the current domain when eIBRS is enabled:
+
+* "Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA) behavior allows alternate branch
+  predictors to be used by near RET instructions when the RSB is
+  empty.  When eIBRS is enabled, the predicted targets of these
+  alternate predictors are restricted to those belonging to the
+  indirect branch predictor entries of the current prediction domain.
+  [#intel-eibrs-rrsba]_
+
+When a CPU with RRSBA is vulnerable to Branch History Injection
+[#bhi-paper]_ [#intel-bhi]_, an RSB underflow could be used for an
+intra-mode BTI attack.  This is mitigated by clearing the BHB on
+kernel entry.
+
+However if the kernel uses retpolines instead of eIBRS, it needs to
+disable RRSBA:
+
+* "Where software is using retpoline as a mitigation for BHI or
+  intra-mode BTI, and the processor both enumerates RRSBA and
+  enumerates RRSBA_DIS controls, it should disable this behavior."
+  [#intel-retpoline-rrsba]_
+
+----
+
+References
+==========
+
+.. [#spectre-rsb] `Spectre Returns! Speculation Attacks using the Return Stack Buffer <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1807.07940.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-rsb-filling] "Empty RSB Mitigation on Skylake-generation" in `Retpoline: A Branch Target Injection Mitigation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/retpoline-branch-target-injection-mitigation.html#inpage-nav-5-1>`_
+
+.. [#amd-rsb-filling] "Mitigation V2-3" in `Software Techniques for Managing Speculation <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/software-techniques-for-managing-speculation.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#cond-ibpb] Whether IBPB is written depends on whether the prev and/or next task is protected from Spectre attacks.  It typically requires opting in per task or system-wide.  For more details see the documentation for the ``spectre_v2_user`` cmdline option in Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt.
+
+.. [#amd-sbpb] IBPB without flushing of branch type predictions.  Only exists for AMD.
+
+.. [#amd-ibpb-rsb] "Function 8000_0008h -- Processor Capacity Parameters and Extended Feature Identification" in `AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 3: General-Purpose and System Instructions <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/24594.pdf>`_.  SBPB behaves the same way according to `this email <https://lore.kernel.org/5175b163a3736ca5fd01cedf406735636c99a>`_.
+
+.. [#amd-ibpb-no-rsb] `Spectre Attacks: Exploiting Speculative Execution <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/ibpb_sp25.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-ibpb-rsb] "Introduction" in `Post-barrier Return Stack Buffer Predictions / CVE-2022-26373 / INTEL-SA-00706 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/post-barrier-return-stack-buffer-predictions.html>`_
+
+.. [#amd-smep-rsb] "Existing Mitigations" in `Technical Guidance for Mitigating Branch Type Confusion <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/resources/technical-guidance-for-mitigating-branch-type-confusion.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-smep-rsb] "Enhanced IBRS" in `Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-restricted-speculation.html>`_
+
+.. [#amd-eibrs-vmexit] "Extended Feature Enable Register (EFER)" in `AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 2: System Programming <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/24593.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-eibrs-vmexit] "Enhanced IBRS" in `Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-restricted-speculation.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-pbrsb] `Post-barrier Return Stack Buffer Predictions / CVE-2022-26373 / INTEL-SA-00706 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/post-barrier-return-stack-buffer-predictions.html>`_
+
+.. [#retbleed-paper] `RETBleed: Arbitrary Speculative Code Execution with Return Instruction <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/retbleed_sec22.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#amd-btc] `Technical Guidance for Mitigating Branch Type Confusion <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/resources/technical-guidance-for-mitigating-branch-type-confusion.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#amd-srso] `Technical Update Regarding Speculative Return Stack Overflow <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/corporate/cr/speculative-return-stack-overflow-whitepaper.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#inception-paper] `Inception: Exposing New Attack Surfaces with Training in Transient Execution <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/inception_sec23.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-rsbu] `Return Stack Buffer Underflow / Return Stack Buffer Underflow / CVE-2022-29901, CVE-2022-28693 / INTEL-SA-00702 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/return-stack-buffer-underflow.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-ibpb-btb] `Indirect Branch Predictor Barrier' <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-predictor-barrier.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-eibrs-rrsba] "Guidance for RSBU" in `Return Stack Buffer Underflow / Return Stack Buffer Underflow / CVE-2022-29901, CVE-2022-28693 / INTEL-SA-00702 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/return-stack-buffer-underflow.html>`_
+
+.. [#bhi-paper] `Branch History Injection: On the Effectiveness of Hardware Mitigations Against Cross-Privilege Spectre-v2 Attacks <http://download.vusec.net/papers/bhi-spectre-bhb_sec22.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-bhi] `Branch History Injection and Intra-mode Branch Target Injection / CVE-2022-0001, CVE-2022-0002 / INTEL-SA-00598 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/branch-history-injection.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-retpoline-rrsba] "Retpoline" in `Branch History Injection and Intra-mode Branch Target Injection / CVE-2022-0001, CVE-2022-0002 / INTEL-SA-00598 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/branch-history-injection.html>`_
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index e2a672f925e3..362602b705cc 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1594,25 +1594,25 @@ static void __init spec_ctrl_disable_kernel_rrsba(void)
 static void __init spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
 {
 	/*
-	 * Similar to context switches, there are two types of RSB attacks
-	 * after VM exit:
+	 * WARNING! There are many subtleties to consider when changing *any*
+	 * code related to RSB-related mitigations.  Before doing so, carefully
+	 * read the following document, and update if necessary:
 	 *
-	 * 1) RSB underflow
+	 *   Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
 	 *
-	 * 2) Poisoned RSB entry
+	 * In an overly simplified nutshell:
 	 *
-	 * When retpoline is enabled, both are mitigated by filling/clearing
-	 * the RSB.
+	 *   - User->user RSB attacks are conditionally mitigated during
+	 *     context switches by cond_mitigation -> write_ibpb().
 	 *
-	 * When IBRS is enabled, while #1 would be mitigated by the IBRS branch
-	 * prediction isolation protections, RSB still needs to be cleared
-	 * because of #2.  Note that SMEP provides no protection here, unlike
-	 * user-space-poisoned RSB entries.
+	 *   - User->kernel and guest->host attacks are mitigated by eIBRS or
+	 *     RSB filling.
 	 *
-	 * eIBRS should protect against RSB poisoning, but if the EIBRS_PBRSB
-	 * bug is present then a LITE version of RSB protection is required,
-	 * just a single call needs to retire before a RET is executed.
+	 *     Though, depending on config, note that other alternative
+	 *     mitigations may end up getting used instead, e.g., IBPB on
+	 *     entry/vmexit, call depth tracking, or return thunks.
 	 */
+
 	switch (mode) {
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
 		break;
@@ -1832,44 +1832,6 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_select_mitigation(void)
 	spectre_v2_enabled = mode;
 	pr_info("%s\n", spectre_v2_strings[mode]);
 
-	/*
-	 * If Spectre v2 protection has been enabled, fill the RSB during a
-	 * context switch.  In general there are two types of RSB attacks
-	 * across context switches, for which the CALLs/RETs may be unbalanced.
-	 *
-	 * 1) RSB underflow
-	 *
-	 *    Some Intel parts have "bottomless RSB".  When the RSB is empty,
-	 *    speculated return targets may come from the branch predictor,
-	 *    which could have a user-poisoned BTB or BHB entry.
-	 *
-	 *    AMD has it even worse: *all* returns are speculated from the BTB,
-	 *    regardless of the state of the RSB.
-	 *
-	 *    When IBRS or eIBRS is enabled, the "user -> kernel" attack
-	 *    scenario is mitigated by the IBRS branch prediction isolation
-	 *    properties, so the RSB buffer filling wouldn't be necessary to
-	 *    protect against this type of attack.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> user" attack scenario is mitigated by RSB filling.
-	 *
-	 * 2) Poisoned RSB entry
-	 *
-	 *    If the 'next' in-kernel return stack is shorter than 'prev',
-	 *    'next' could be tricked into speculating with a user-poisoned RSB
-	 *    entry.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> kernel" attack scenario is mitigated by SMEP and
-	 *    eIBRS.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> user" scenario, also known as SpectreBHB, requires
-	 *    RSB clearing.
-	 *
-	 * So to mitigate all cases, unconditionally fill RSB on context
-	 * switches.
-	 *
-	 * FIXME: Is this pointless for retbleed-affected AMD?
-	 */
 	spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(mode);
 
 	/*
-- 
2.49.0

[tip: x86/urgent] x86/bugs: Add RSB mitigation document

[tip-bot2 for Josh Poimboeuf]

The following commit has been merged into the x86/urgent branch of tip:

Commit-ID:     83f6665a49c3d44ad0c08f837d352dd290f5d10b
Gitweb:        https://git.kernel.org/tip/83f6665a49c3d44ad0c08f837d352dd290f5d10b
Author:        Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
AuthorDate:    Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:47:35 -07:00
Committer:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
CommitterDate: Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:42:09 +02:00

x86/bugs: Add RSB mitigation document

Create a document to summarize hard-earned knowledge about RSB-related
mitigations, with references, and replace the overly verbose yet
incomplete comments with a reference to the document.

Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/ab73f4659ba697a974759f07befd41ae605e33dd.1744148254.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org
---
 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst |   1 +-
 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst   | 268 +++++++++++++++++++-
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c                  |  64 +----
 3 files changed, 282 insertions(+), 51 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
index ff0b440..451874b 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/index.rst
@@ -22,3 +22,4 @@ are configurable at compile, boot or run time.
    srso
    gather_data_sampling
    reg-file-data-sampling
+   rsb
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21dbf9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=======================
+RSB-related mitigations
+=======================
+
+.. warning::
+   Please keep this document up-to-date, otherwise you will be
+   volunteered to update it and convert it to a very long comment in
+   bugs.c!
+
+Since 2018 there have been many Spectre CVEs related to the Return Stack
+Buffer (RSB) (sometimes referred to as the Return Address Stack (RAS) or
+Return Address Predictor (RAP) on AMD).
+
+Information about these CVEs and how to mitigate them is scattered
+amongst a myriad of microarchitecture-specific documents.
+
+This document attempts to consolidate all the relevant information in
+once place and clarify the reasoning behind the current RSB-related
+mitigations.  It's meant to be as concise as possible, focused only on
+the current kernel mitigations: what are the RSB-related attack vectors
+and how are they currently being mitigated?
+
+It's *not* meant to describe how the RSB mechanism operates or how the
+exploits work.  More details about those can be found in the references
+below.
+
+Rather, this is basically a glorified comment, but too long to actually
+be one.  So when the next CVE comes along, a kernel developer can
+quickly refer to this as a refresher to see what we're actually doing
+and why.
+
+At a high level, there are two classes of RSB attacks: RSB poisoning
+(Intel and AMD) and RSB underflow (Intel only).  They must each be
+considered individually for each attack vector (and microarchitecture
+where applicable).
+
+----
+
+RSB poisoning (Intel and AMD)
+=============================
+
+SpectreRSB
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+RSB poisoning is a technique used by SpectreRSB [#spectre-rsb]_ where
+an attacker poisons an RSB entry to cause a victim's return instruction
+to speculate to an attacker-controlled address.  This can happen when
+there are unbalanced CALLs/RETs after a context switch or VMEXIT.
+
+* All attack vectors can potentially be mitigated by flushing out any
+  poisoned RSB entries using an RSB filling sequence
+  [#intel-rsb-filling]_ [#amd-rsb-filling]_ when transitioning between
+  untrusted and trusted domains.  But this has a performance impact and
+  should be avoided whenever possible.
+
+  .. DANGER::
+     **FIXME**: Currently we're flushing 32 entries.  However, some CPU
+     models have more than 32 entries.  The loop count needs to be
+     increased for those.  More detailed information is needed about RSB
+     sizes.
+
+* On context switch, the user->user mitigation requires ensuring the
+  RSB gets filled or cleared whenever IBPB gets written [#cond-ibpb]_
+  during a context switch:
+
+  * AMD:
+	On Zen 4+, IBPB (or SBPB [#amd-sbpb]_ if used) clears the RSB.
+	This is indicated by IBPB_RET in CPUID [#amd-ibpb-rsb]_.
+
+	On Zen < 4, the RSB filling sequence [#amd-rsb-filling]_ must be
+	always be done in addition to IBPB [#amd-ibpb-no-rsb]_.  This is
+	indicated by X86_BUG_IBPB_NO_RET.
+
+  * Intel:
+	IBPB always clears the RSB:
+
+	"Software that executed before the IBPB command cannot control
+	the predicted targets of indirect branches executed after the
+	command on the same logical processor. The term indirect branch
+	in this context includes near return instructions, so these
+	predicted targets may come from the RSB." [#intel-ibpb-rsb]_
+
+* On context switch, user->kernel attacks are prevented by SMEP.  User
+  space can only insert user space addresses into the RSB.  Even
+  non-canonical addresses can't be inserted due to the page gap at the
+  end of the user canonical address space reserved by TASK_SIZE_MAX.
+  A SMEP #PF at instruction fetch prevents the kernel from speculatively
+  executing user space.
+
+  * AMD:
+	"Finally, branches that are predicted as 'ret' instructions get
+	their predicted targets from the Return Address Predictor (RAP).
+	AMD recommends software use a RAP stuffing sequence (mitigation
+	V2-3 in [2]) and/or Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP)
+	to ensure that the addresses in the RAP are safe for
+	speculation. Collectively, we refer to these mitigations as "RAP
+	Protection"." [#amd-smep-rsb]_
+
+  * Intel:
+	"On processors with enhanced IBRS, an RSB overwrite sequence may
+	not suffice to prevent the predicted target of a near return
+	from using an RSB entry created in a less privileged predictor
+	mode.  Software can prevent this by enabling SMEP (for
+	transitions from user mode to supervisor mode) and by having
+	IA32_SPEC_CTRL.IBRS set during VM exits." [#intel-smep-rsb]_
+
+* On VMEXIT, guest->host attacks are mitigated by eIBRS (and PBRSB
+  mitigation if needed):
+
+  * AMD:
+	"When Automatic IBRS is enabled, the internal return address
+	stack used for return address predictions is cleared on VMEXIT."
+	[#amd-eibrs-vmexit]_
+
+  * Intel:
+	"On processors with enhanced IBRS, an RSB overwrite sequence may
+	not suffice to prevent the predicted target of a near return
+	from using an RSB entry created in a less privileged predictor
+	mode.  Software can prevent this by enabling SMEP (for
+	transitions from user mode to supervisor mode) and by having
+	IA32_SPEC_CTRL.IBRS set during VM exits. Processors with
+	enhanced IBRS still support the usage model where IBRS is set
+	only in the OS/VMM for OSes that enable SMEP. To do this, such
+	processors will ensure that guest behavior cannot control the
+	RSB after a VM exit once IBRS is set, even if IBRS was not set
+	at the time of the VM exit." [#intel-eibrs-vmexit]_
+
+    Note that some Intel CPUs are susceptible to Post-barrier Return
+    Stack Buffer Predictions (PBRSB) [#intel-pbrsb]_, where the last
+    CALL from the guest can be used to predict the first unbalanced RET.
+    In this case the PBRSB mitigation is needed in addition to eIBRS.
+
+AMD RETBleed / SRSO / Branch Type Confusion
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+On AMD, poisoned RSB entries can also be created by the AMD RETBleed
+variant [#retbleed-paper]_ [#amd-btc]_ or by Speculative Return Stack
+Overflow [#amd-srso]_ (Inception [#inception-paper]_).  The kernel
+protects itself by replacing every RET in the kernel with a branch to a
+single safe RET.
+
+----
+
+RSB underflow (Intel only)
+==========================
+
+RSB Alternate (RSBA) ("Intel Retbleed")
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Some Intel Skylake-generation CPUs are susceptible to the Intel variant
+of RETBleed [#retbleed-paper]_ (Return Stack Buffer Underflow
+[#intel-rsbu]_).  If a RET is executed when the RSB buffer is empty due
+to mismatched CALLs/RETs or returning from a deep call stack, the branch
+predictor can fall back to using the Branch Target Buffer (BTB).  If a
+user forces a BTB collision then the RET can speculatively branch to a
+user-controlled address.
+
+* Note that RSB filling doesn't fully mitigate this issue.  If there
+  are enough unbalanced RETs, the RSB may still underflow and fall back
+  to using a poisoned BTB entry.
+
+* On context switch, user->user underflow attacks are mitigated by the
+  conditional IBPB [#cond-ibpb]_ on context switch which effectively
+  clears the BTB:
+
+  * "The indirect branch predictor barrier (IBPB) is an indirect branch
+    control mechanism that establishes a barrier, preventing software
+    that executed before the barrier from controlling the predicted
+    targets of indirect branches executed after the barrier on the same
+    logical processor." [#intel-ibpb-btb]_
+
+* On context switch and VMEXIT, user->kernel and guest->host RSB
+  underflows are mitigated by IBRS or eIBRS:
+
+  * "Enabling IBRS (including enhanced IBRS) will mitigate the "RSBU"
+    attack demonstrated by the researchers. As previously documented,
+    Intel recommends the use of enhanced IBRS, where supported. This
+    includes any processor that enumerates RRSBA but not RRSBA_DIS_S."
+    [#intel-rsbu]_
+
+  However, note that eIBRS and IBRS do not mitigate intra-mode attacks.
+  Like RRSBA below, this is mitigated by clearing the BHB on kernel
+  entry.
+
+  As an alternative to classic IBRS, call depth tracking (combined with
+  retpolines) can be used to track kernel returns and fill the RSB when
+  it gets close to being empty.
+
+Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Some newer Intel CPUs have Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA) behavior,
+which, similar to RSBA described above, also falls back to using the BTB
+on RSB underflow.  The only difference is that the predicted targets are
+restricted to the current domain when eIBRS is enabled:
+
+* "Restricted RSB Alternate (RRSBA) behavior allows alternate branch
+  predictors to be used by near RET instructions when the RSB is
+  empty.  When eIBRS is enabled, the predicted targets of these
+  alternate predictors are restricted to those belonging to the
+  indirect branch predictor entries of the current prediction domain.
+  [#intel-eibrs-rrsba]_
+
+When a CPU with RRSBA is vulnerable to Branch History Injection
+[#bhi-paper]_ [#intel-bhi]_, an RSB underflow could be used for an
+intra-mode BTI attack.  This is mitigated by clearing the BHB on
+kernel entry.
+
+However if the kernel uses retpolines instead of eIBRS, it needs to
+disable RRSBA:
+
+* "Where software is using retpoline as a mitigation for BHI or
+  intra-mode BTI, and the processor both enumerates RRSBA and
+  enumerates RRSBA_DIS controls, it should disable this behavior."
+  [#intel-retpoline-rrsba]_
+
+----
+
+References
+==========
+
+.. [#spectre-rsb] `Spectre Returns! Speculation Attacks using the Return Stack Buffer <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1807.07940.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-rsb-filling] "Empty RSB Mitigation on Skylake-generation" in `Retpoline: A Branch Target Injection Mitigation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/retpoline-branch-target-injection-mitigation.html#inpage-nav-5-1>`_
+
+.. [#amd-rsb-filling] "Mitigation V2-3" in `Software Techniques for Managing Speculation <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/software-techniques-for-managing-speculation.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#cond-ibpb] Whether IBPB is written depends on whether the prev and/or next task is protected from Spectre attacks.  It typically requires opting in per task or system-wide.  For more details see the documentation for the ``spectre_v2_user`` cmdline option in Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt.
+
+.. [#amd-sbpb] IBPB without flushing of branch type predictions.  Only exists for AMD.
+
+.. [#amd-ibpb-rsb] "Function 8000_0008h -- Processor Capacity Parameters and Extended Feature Identification" in `AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 3: General-Purpose and System Instructions <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/24594.pdf>`_.  SBPB behaves the same way according to `this email <https://lore.kernel.org/5175b163a3736ca5fd01cedf406735636c99a>`_.
+
+.. [#amd-ibpb-no-rsb] `Spectre Attacks: Exploiting Speculative Execution <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/ibpb_sp25.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-ibpb-rsb] "Introduction" in `Post-barrier Return Stack Buffer Predictions / CVE-2022-26373 / INTEL-SA-00706 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/post-barrier-return-stack-buffer-predictions.html>`_
+
+.. [#amd-smep-rsb] "Existing Mitigations" in `Technical Guidance for Mitigating Branch Type Confusion <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/resources/technical-guidance-for-mitigating-branch-type-confusion.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-smep-rsb] "Enhanced IBRS" in `Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-restricted-speculation.html>`_
+
+.. [#amd-eibrs-vmexit] "Extended Feature Enable Register (EFER)" in `AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 2: System Programming <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/processor-tech-docs/programmer-references/24593.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-eibrs-vmexit] "Enhanced IBRS" in `Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-restricted-speculation.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-pbrsb] `Post-barrier Return Stack Buffer Predictions / CVE-2022-26373 / INTEL-SA-00706 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/post-barrier-return-stack-buffer-predictions.html>`_
+
+.. [#retbleed-paper] `RETBleed: Arbitrary Speculative Code Execution with Return Instruction <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/retbleed_sec22.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#amd-btc] `Technical Guidance for Mitigating Branch Type Confusion <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/resources/technical-guidance-for-mitigating-branch-type-confusion.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#amd-srso] `Technical Update Regarding Speculative Return Stack Overflow <https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/corporate/cr/speculative-return-stack-overflow-whitepaper.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#inception-paper] `Inception: Exposing New Attack Surfaces with Training in Transient Execution <https://comsec.ethz.ch/wp-content/files/inception_sec23.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-rsbu] `Return Stack Buffer Underflow / Return Stack Buffer Underflow / CVE-2022-29901, CVE-2022-28693 / INTEL-SA-00702 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/return-stack-buffer-underflow.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-ibpb-btb] `Indirect Branch Predictor Barrier' <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/indirect-branch-predictor-barrier.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-eibrs-rrsba] "Guidance for RSBU" in `Return Stack Buffer Underflow / Return Stack Buffer Underflow / CVE-2022-29901, CVE-2022-28693 / INTEL-SA-00702 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/return-stack-buffer-underflow.html>`_
+
+.. [#bhi-paper] `Branch History Injection: On the Effectiveness of Hardware Mitigations Against Cross-Privilege Spectre-v2 Attacks <http://download.vusec.net/papers/bhi-spectre-bhb_sec22.pdf>`_
+
+.. [#intel-bhi] `Branch History Injection and Intra-mode Branch Target Injection / CVE-2022-0001, CVE-2022-0002 / INTEL-SA-00598 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/branch-history-injection.html>`_
+
+.. [#intel-retpoline-rrsba] "Retpoline" in `Branch History Injection and Intra-mode Branch Target Injection / CVE-2022-0001, CVE-2022-0002 / INTEL-SA-00598 <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/technical-documentation/branch-history-injection.html>`_
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
index e2a672f..362602b 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/bugs.c
@@ -1594,25 +1594,25 @@ static void __init spec_ctrl_disable_kernel_rrsba(void)
 static void __init spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(enum spectre_v2_mitigation mode)
 {
 	/*
-	 * Similar to context switches, there are two types of RSB attacks
-	 * after VM exit:
+	 * WARNING! There are many subtleties to consider when changing *any*
+	 * code related to RSB-related mitigations.  Before doing so, carefully
+	 * read the following document, and update if necessary:
 	 *
-	 * 1) RSB underflow
+	 *   Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/rsb.rst
 	 *
-	 * 2) Poisoned RSB entry
+	 * In an overly simplified nutshell:
 	 *
-	 * When retpoline is enabled, both are mitigated by filling/clearing
-	 * the RSB.
+	 *   - User->user RSB attacks are conditionally mitigated during
+	 *     context switches by cond_mitigation -> write_ibpb().
 	 *
-	 * When IBRS is enabled, while #1 would be mitigated by the IBRS branch
-	 * prediction isolation protections, RSB still needs to be cleared
-	 * because of #2.  Note that SMEP provides no protection here, unlike
-	 * user-space-poisoned RSB entries.
+	 *   - User->kernel and guest->host attacks are mitigated by eIBRS or
+	 *     RSB filling.
 	 *
-	 * eIBRS should protect against RSB poisoning, but if the EIBRS_PBRSB
-	 * bug is present then a LITE version of RSB protection is required,
-	 * just a single call needs to retire before a RET is executed.
+	 *     Though, depending on config, note that other alternative
+	 *     mitigations may end up getting used instead, e.g., IBPB on
+	 *     entry/vmexit, call depth tracking, or return thunks.
 	 */
+
 	switch (mode) {
 	case SPECTRE_V2_NONE:
 		break;
@@ -1832,44 +1832,6 @@ static void __init spectre_v2_select_mitigation(void)
 	spectre_v2_enabled = mode;
 	pr_info("%s\n", spectre_v2_strings[mode]);
 
-	/*
-	 * If Spectre v2 protection has been enabled, fill the RSB during a
-	 * context switch.  In general there are two types of RSB attacks
-	 * across context switches, for which the CALLs/RETs may be unbalanced.
-	 *
-	 * 1) RSB underflow
-	 *
-	 *    Some Intel parts have "bottomless RSB".  When the RSB is empty,
-	 *    speculated return targets may come from the branch predictor,
-	 *    which could have a user-poisoned BTB or BHB entry.
-	 *
-	 *    AMD has it even worse: *all* returns are speculated from the BTB,
-	 *    regardless of the state of the RSB.
-	 *
-	 *    When IBRS or eIBRS is enabled, the "user -> kernel" attack
-	 *    scenario is mitigated by the IBRS branch prediction isolation
-	 *    properties, so the RSB buffer filling wouldn't be necessary to
-	 *    protect against this type of attack.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> user" attack scenario is mitigated by RSB filling.
-	 *
-	 * 2) Poisoned RSB entry
-	 *
-	 *    If the 'next' in-kernel return stack is shorter than 'prev',
-	 *    'next' could be tricked into speculating with a user-poisoned RSB
-	 *    entry.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> kernel" attack scenario is mitigated by SMEP and
-	 *    eIBRS.
-	 *
-	 *    The "user -> user" scenario, also known as SpectreBHB, requires
-	 *    RSB clearing.
-	 *
-	 * So to mitigate all cases, unconditionally fill RSB on context
-	 * switches.
-	 *
-	 * FIXME: Is this pointless for retbleed-affected AMD?
-	 */
 	spectre_v2_select_rsb_mitigation(mode);
 
 	/*