linux-kernel - Re: perf_fuzzer compiled for x32 causes reboot

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]

Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.10.1402250904400.23234@vincent-weaver-1.um.maine.edu>
Date:	Tue, 25 Feb 2014 09:07:51 -0500 (EST)
From:	Vince Weaver <vincent.weaver@...ne.edu>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
cc:	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>,
	Vince Weaver <vincent.weaver@...ne.edu>,
	Linux Kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: perf_fuzzer compiled for x32 causes reboot

On Mon, 24 Feb 2014, H. Peter Anvin wrote:

> On 02/24/2014 11:30 AM, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 02:13:29PM -0500, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> >> Ah, and x86_64 saves off the cr2 register when entering NMI and restores
> >> it before returning. But it seems to be missing from the i386 code.
> > 
> > arch/x86/kernel/nmi.c:
> > 
> > #define nmi_nesting_preprocess(regs)					\
> > 	do {								\
> > 		if (this_cpu_read(nmi_state) != NMI_NOT_RUNNING) {	\
> > 			this_cpu_write(nmi_state, NMI_LATCHED);		\
> > 			return;						\
> > 		}							\
> > 		this_cpu_write(nmi_state, NMI_EXECUTING);		\
> > 		this_cpu_write(nmi_cr2, read_cr2());			\
> > 	} while (0);							\
> > 	nmi_restart:
> > 
> > #define nmi_nesting_postprocess()					\
> > 	do {								\
> > 		if (unlikely(this_cpu_read(nmi_cr2) != read_cr2()))	\
> > 			write_cr2(this_cpu_read(nmi_cr2));		\
> > 		if (this_cpu_dec_return(nmi_state))			\
> > 			goto nmi_restart;				\
> > 	} while (0)
> > 
> > That very much looks like saving/restoring CR2 to me.
> > 
> > FWIW; I hate how the x86_64 and i386 versions of this NMI nesting magic
> > are so completely different.
> 
> Is there any way that nmi_cr2 can end up getting overwritten by multiple
> nestings of some kind?  I would have thought it would have made more
> sense to spill cr2 onto the stack after the stack has been properly set up.

So how can I help with debugging this?

While the missing cr2 issue made debugging frustrating, I find the other 
aspects of the bug more serious:

  1.  Programs that are doing valid memory accesses can segfault
and worse
  2.  This bug can cause an instant-reboot of the system (I assume somehow
      with the right combination of memory accesses  it causes a 
      triple-fault?)

#2 is why I spent all of this time tracking this down, I couldn't leave a 
machine fuzzing overnight without the machine rebooting.

Vince

--
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/