linux-kernel - Re: Patch [1/1] minor bugfix in 2.6.26/arch/x86/mm/pat.c - caused problems in mmap() of /dev/mem character file

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Date:	Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:39:40 +0200
From:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
To:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:	"V.Radhakrishnan" <rk@...-labs.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <Linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Arjan van de Ven <arjan@...radead.org>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Suresh Siddha <suresh.b.siddha@...el.com>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Venki Pallipadi <venkatesh.pallipadi@...el.com>
Subject: Re: Patch [1/1] minor bugfix in 2.6.26/arch/x86/mm/pat.c - caused
	problems in mmap() of /dev/mem character file


* Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org> wrote:

> On Thu, 17 Jul 2008, V.Radhakrishnan wrote:
> > 
> > The above #ifdef must be actually #ifndef and not #ifdef The bug 
> > does not allow a valid user (root) from accessing /dev/mem even 
> > though the CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM is NOT selected.
> 
> The real bug is that we shouldn't have "double negatives", and 
> certainly not negative config options. Making that "promiscuous 
> /dev/mem" option a negated thing as a config option was bad.
> 
> Ingo, over to you..

(hm, i dont find the original thread anywhere.)

this change:

> > --- arch/x86/mm/pat.c.orig	2008-07-17 22:04:18.000000000 +0530
> > +++ arch/x86/mm/pat.c	2008-07-17 22:43:39.000000000 +0530
> > @@ -471,7 +475,7 @@ pgprot_t phys_mem_access_prot(struct fil
> >  	return vma_prot;
> >  }
> >  
> > -#ifdef CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
> > +#ifndef CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
> >  /* This check is done in drivers/char/mem.c in case of NONPROMISC_DEVMEM*/
> >  static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long size)
> >  {

... would add a crasher cache aliasing bug in case of 
CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM=n (or CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM).

The idea behind this check is to add a second layer of checks to mmap()s 
- which is absolutely necessary in the case of PAT and not optional. If 
non-promisc /dev/mem is used then this check is not needed. (because the 
higher level API already restricts us)

But this duplication is ugly and confusing - we should have just a 
single check function, defined once and unconditionally, and utilized by 
both places (with the devmem check being optional).

Venki, Arjan, agreed?

Also, Linus's observation about the illogical naming of the config 
symbol is spot on as well, below is the rename commit i've just added to 
tip/x86/urgent.

	Ingo

------------------->
commit 64d206d896ff70b828138577d5ff39deda5f1c4d
Author: Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
Date:   Fri Jul 18 00:26:59 2008 +0200

    x86: rename CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM to CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM
    
    Linus observed:
    
    > The real bug is that we shouldn't have "double negatives", and
    > certainly not negative config options. Making that "promiscuous
    > /dev/mem" option a negated thing as a config option was bad.
    
    right ... lets rename this option. There should never be a negation
    in config options.
    
    [ that reminds me of CONFIG_SCHED_NO_NO_OMIT_FRAME_POINTER, but that
      is for another commit ;-) ]
    
    Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
---
 arch/x86/Kconfig.debug |    7 ++++---
 arch/x86/mm/pat.c      |    6 +++---
 drivers/char/mem.c     |    2 +-
 3 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug b/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
index ae36bfa..f0cf5d9 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig.debug
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ config TRACE_IRQFLAGS_SUPPORT
 
 source "lib/Kconfig.debug"
 
-config NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
-	bool "Filter access to /dev/mem"
+config PROMISC_DEVMEM
+	bool "Allow unlimited access to /dev/mem"
+	default y
 	help
-	  If this option is left off, you allow userspace access to all
+	  If this option is left on, you allow userspace (root) access to all
 	  of memory, including kernel and userspace memory. Accidental
 	  access to this is obviously disastrous, but specific access can
 	  be used by people debugging the kernel.
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/pat.c b/arch/x86/mm/pat.c
index d458507..c34dc48 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/pat.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/pat.c
@@ -373,8 +373,8 @@ pgprot_t phys_mem_access_prot(struct file *file, unsigned long pfn,
 	return vma_prot;
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
-/* This check is done in drivers/char/mem.c in case of NONPROMISC_DEVMEM*/
+#ifndef CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM
+/* This check is done in drivers/char/mem.c in case of !PROMISC_DEVMEM*/
 static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long size)
 {
 	return 1;
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long size)
 	}
 	return 1;
 }
-#endif /* CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM */
+#endif /* CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM */
 
 int phys_mem_access_prot_allowed(struct file *file, unsigned long pfn,
 				unsigned long size, pgprot_t *vma_prot)
diff --git a/drivers/char/mem.c b/drivers/char/mem.c
index 070e22e..de05775 100644
--- a/drivers/char/mem.c
+++ b/drivers/char/mem.c
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ static inline int valid_mmap_phys_addr_range(unsigned long pfn, size_t size)
 }
 #endif
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_NONPROMISC_DEVMEM
+#ifndef CONFIG_PROMISC_DEVMEM
 static inline int range_is_allowed(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long size)
 {
 	u64 from = ((u64)pfn) << PAGE_SHIFT;
--
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