kernel-hardening - Re: [PATCH] x86_64: Disabling read-implies-exec when the stack is executable

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Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.21.1904181015270.3174@nanos.tec.linutronix.de>
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2019 10:17:21 +0200 (CEST)
From: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
To: Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
cc: Hector Marco-Gisbert <hecmargi@....es>, 
    LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, 
    "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>, X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>, 
    Brian Gerst <brgerst@...il.com>, Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>, 
    Borislav Petkov <bp@...e.de>, Huaitong Han <huaitong.han@...el.com>, 
    Ismael Ripoll Ripoll <iripoll@....es>, 
    Kernel Hardening <kernel-hardening@...ts.openwall.com>, 
    Jason Gunthorpe <jgg@...lanox.com>, Andi Kleen <ak@...ux.intel.com>, 
    Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@....com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86_64: Disabling read-implies-exec when the stack is
 executable

On Thu, 18 Apr 2019, Kees Cook wrote:
> On Wed, May 11, 2016 at 5:45 AM Hector Marco-Gisbert <hecmargi@....es> wrote:
> *thread necromancy*
> 
> I'd still like to see this get landed. READ_IMPLIES_EXEC is way too
> powerful (it impacts, for example, mmap() regions of device driver
> memory, forcing drivers to not be able to disallow VM_EXEC[1]).
> 
> The only case it could break is on an AMD K8 (Athlon only, I assume?),
> which seems unlikely to have a modern kernel run on it. If there is
> still concern, then we could just test against the NX CPU feature:
> 
> diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/elf.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/elf.h
> index 69c0f892e310..367cd36259a4 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/include/asm/elf.h
> +++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/elf.h
> @@ -280,10 +280,12 @@ extern u32 elf_hwcap2;
> 
>  /*
>   * An executable for which elf_read_implies_exec() returns TRUE will
> - * have the READ_IMPLIES_EXEC personality flag set automatically.
> + * have the READ_IMPLIES_EXEC personality flag set automatically when
> + * a CPU did not support NX or is using a 32-bit memory layout.
>   */
> -#define elf_read_implies_exec(ex, executable_stack)    \
> -       (executable_stack != EXSTACK_DISABLE_X)
> +#define elf_read_implies_exec(ex, executable_stack)            \
> +       (mmap_is_ia32() || !(__supported_pte_mask & _PAGE_NX) ? \

What's special about ia32? All what matters is whether PAGE_NX is supported
or not. That has nothing to do with 32/64bit unless I'm missing something
(as usual).

Thanks,

	tglx

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