linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/2] x86/mm/KASLR: Fix the wrong calculation of memory region initial size

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Date:   Sat, 6 Apr 2019 09:51:19 +0800
From:   Baoquan He <bhe@...hat.com>
To:     Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
Cc:     linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, x86@...nel.org, tglx@...utronix.de,
        mingo@...nel.org, hpa@...or.com, kirill@...temov.name,
        keescook@...omium.org, yamada.masahiro@...ionext.com,
        dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com, luto@...nel.org, peterz@...radead.org,
        thgarnie@...gle.com, mike.travis@....com, frank.ramsay@....com
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] x86/mm/KASLR: Fix the wrong calculation of memory
 region initial size

On 04/05/19 at 06:58pm, Borislav Petkov wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 04, 2019 at 10:03:13AM +0800, Baoquan He wrote:
> > In memory region KASLR, __PHYSICAL_MASK_SHIFT is taken to calculate
> 
> What is "memory region KASLR"?

It's KASLR happened in kernel_randomize_memory() of arch/x86/mm/kaslr.c .
In fact, I don't know how to call it. Previously, I wrote it as mm
KASLR, to distinguish from KASLR during kernel decompression. Ingo
blamed the name, so I changed it to memory region KASLR. Seems Thomas
Garnier called it KASLR for kernel memory regions in his original KASLR
adding patch. May I call it 'KASLR for kernel memory regions', or 'KASLR
for memory regions'?

> 
> > the initial size of the direct mapping region. This is correct in
> > the old code where __PHYSICAL_MASK_SHIFT was equal to MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS,
> > 46 bits, and only 4-level mode was supported.
> > 
> > Later, in commit:
> > b83ce5ee91471d ("x86/mm/64: Make __PHYSICAL_MASK_SHIFT always 52"),
> > __PHYSICAL_MASK_SHIFT was changed to be always 52 bits, no matter it's
> > 5-level or 4-level.
> > 
> > This is wrong for 4-level paging since it may cause randomness of KASLR
> > being greatly weakened in 4-level. For KASLR, we compare the sum of RAM
> > size and CONFIG_RANDOMIZE_MEMORY_PHYSICAL_PADDING with the size of the
> > max RAM which can be supported by system, then choose the bigger one as
> > the value to reserve space for the direct mapping region. The max RAM
> > supported in 4-level is 64 TB according to MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS. However,
> > here it's 4 PB in code to be compared with when __PHYSICAL_MASK_SHIFT is
> > mistakenly used. E.g in a system owning 64 TB RAM, it will reserve 74 TB
> > (which is 64 TB plus CONFIG_RANDOMIZE_MEMORY_PHYSICAL_PADDING). In fact
> > it should reserve 64 TB according to the algorithm which is supposed to
> > do. Obviously the extra 10 TB space should be saved to join randomization.
> 
> It is not a trivial situation you're trying to explain and that
> paragraph is very very hard to understand. I can only rhyme up what
> you're trying to say.
> 
> So please rewrite it using simple declarative sentences. Don't try to
> say three things in one sentence but say one thing in three sentences.
> Keep it simple.

OK, will rewrite the whole patch log.