linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH 5/9] KVM: x86/mmu: Free up A/D bits in FROZEN

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Message-ID: <ZrFPcJvYMpv8BH30@google.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2024 15:17:20 -0700
From: Sean Christopherson <seanjc@...gle.com>
To: Yuan Yao <yuan.yao@...ux.intel.com>
Cc: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@...hat.com>, kvm@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH 5/9] KVM: x86/mmu: Free up A/D bits in FROZEN_SPTE

On Mon, Aug 05, 2024, Yuan Yao wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 01, 2024 at 11:34:49AM -0700, Sean Christopherson wrote:
> > Remove all flavors of A/D bits from FROZEN_SPTE so that KVM can keep A/D
> > bits set in SPTEs that are frozen, without getting false positives.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Sean Christopherson <seanjc@...gle.com>
> > ---
> >  arch/x86/kvm/mmu/spte.h | 8 +++++---
> >  1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/mmu/spte.h b/arch/x86/kvm/mmu/spte.h
> > index ba7ff1dfbeb2..d403ecdfcb8e 100644
> > --- a/arch/x86/kvm/mmu/spte.h
> > +++ b/arch/x86/kvm/mmu/spte.h
> > @@ -216,15 +216,17 @@ extern u64 __read_mostly shadow_nonpresent_or_rsvd_mask;
> >   * should not modify the SPTE.
> >   *
> >   * Use a semi-arbitrary value that doesn't set RWX bits, i.e. is not-present on
> > - * both AMD and Intel CPUs, and doesn't set PFN bits, i.e. doesn't create a L1TF
> > - * vulnerability.
> > + * both AMD and Intel CPUs, doesn't set any A/D bits, and doesn't set PFN bits,
> > + * i.e. doesn't create a L1TF vulnerability.
> >   *
> >   * Only used by the TDP MMU.
> >   */
> > -#define FROZEN_SPTE	(SHADOW_NONPRESENT_VALUE | 0x5a0ULL)
> > +#define FROZEN_SPTE	(SHADOW_NONPRESENT_VALUE | 0x498ULL)
> 
> Question:
> Why bit3 and bit4 also changed from 0 to 1 ?

Purely so that more bits are set, i.e. so that KVM doesn't rely on one or two
bits to identify frozen SPTEs.

> They're not part of AD bits fro EPT and CR3 page table/AMD NPT

This is very delibreate.  The A/D bits need to be '0' in the FROZEN, i.e. bits
5,6, 8, and 9 must not be set in FROZEN_SPTE.

> 
> EPT: Abit:8 Dbit:9
> CR3: Abit:5 Dbit:6