linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] KVM: x86: add MSR_KVM_MIGRATION

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:   Tue, 27 Apr 2021 22:14:05 +0000
From:   Sean Christopherson <seanjc@...gle.com>
To:     Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@...hat.com>
Cc:     linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, kvm@...r.kernel.org,
        srutherford@...gle.com, joro@...tes.org, brijesh.singh@....com,
        thomas.lendacky@....com, venu.busireddy@...cle.com
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] KVM: x86: add MSR_KVM_MIGRATION_CONTROL

On Wed, Apr 21, 2021, Paolo Bonzini wrote:
> Add a new MSR that can be used to communicate whether the page
> encryption status bitmap is up to date and therefore whether live
> migration of an encrypted guest is possible.
> 
> The MSR should be processed by userspace if it is going to live
> migrate the guest; the default implementation does nothing.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@...hat.com>
> ---

...

> @@ -91,6 +93,8 @@ struct kvm_clock_pairing {
>  /* MSR_KVM_ASYNC_PF_INT */
>  #define KVM_ASYNC_PF_VEC_MASK			GENMASK(7, 0)
>  
> +/* MSR_KVM_MIGRATION_CONTROL */
> +#define KVM_PAGE_ENC_STATUS_UPTODATE		(1 << 0)

Why explicitly tie this to encryption status?  AFAICT, doing so serves no real
purpose and can only hurt us in the long run.  E.g. if a new use case for
"disabling" migration comes along and it has nothing to do with encryption, then
it has the choice of either using a different bit or bastardizing the existing
control.

I've no idea if such a use case is remotely likely to pop up, but allowing for
such a possibility costs us nothing.