linux-kernel - Re: [tip:perfcounters/core] perf_counter: x86: Fix call-chain support to use NMI-safe methods

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:55:16 -0700
From:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
To:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
CC:	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...ymtl.ca>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	mingo@...hat.com, paulus@...ba.org, acme@...hat.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, a.p.zijlstra@...llo.nl,
	penberg@...helsinki.fi, vegard.nossum@...il.com, efault@....de,
	jeremy@...p.org, npiggin@...e.de, tglx@...utronix.de,
	linux-tip-commits@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [tip:perfcounters/core] perf_counter: x86: Fix call-chain	support
 to use NMI-safe methods

Ingo Molnar wrote:
>>>
>> I wouldn't actually expect that, *as long as* there is 
>> serialization between the cr2 write and the cr2 read.
> 
> Well, is there any OS that heavily relies on cr2 writes and which 
> uses them from NMI context, and which CPU makers care about? 
> (Meaning: Windows, pretty much.)
> 
> If not then i agree that in theory it should work fine, but in 
> practice we only know that we dont know the unknown risk here ;-)
> 

I think you can drop "uses them from NMI context" from that statement;
writing to %cr2 is independent of the context.

I can try to find out internally what Intel's position on writing %cr2
is, but it'll take a while; however, KVM should be able to tell you if
any random OS uses %cr2 writes (as should a static disassembly of their
kernel.)

	-hpa

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/