From nobody Sun Feb 8 10:30:07 2026 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on aws-us-west-2-korg-lkml-1.web.codeaurora.org Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [23.128.96.18]) by smtp.lore.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 533D2C04A94 for ; Wed, 2 Aug 2023 22:21:12 +0000 (UTC) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S234125AbjHBWVK (ORCPT ); Wed, 2 Aug 2023 18:21:10 -0400 Received: from lindbergh.monkeyblade.net ([23.128.96.19]:33192 "EHLO lindbergh.monkeyblade.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S234014AbjHBWUg (ORCPT ); Wed, 2 Aug 2023 18:20:36 -0400 Received: from galois.linutronix.de (Galois.linutronix.de [IPv6:2a0a:51c0:0:12e:550::1]) by lindbergh.monkeyblade.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3013430E5; Wed, 2 Aug 2023 15:19:41 -0700 (PDT) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 22:19:38 -0000 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=linutronix.de; s=2020; t=1691014779; h=from:from:sender:sender:reply-to:reply-to:subject:subject:date:date: message-id:message-id:to:to:cc:cc:mime-version:mime-version: content-type:content-type: content-transfer-encoding:content-transfer-encoding; bh=OGY0QXP4FHWEhdiR/6iRdVnV9DOt+x/Q7BWwYGxGorU=; b=X+BTeeAgF0G4XyHRhmageWPUUAzxgnwl6P33ao6fcIiTqL9k9eaVM52DoGT4vCK6bNYysB pXBFf+PwoEG7Zu1tWhI+FqdYJQN4tSjDMohfDb+SK8arta+45GeQ3dFtOORoXYiDy7jJ2+ ZmEw90nCLSAk5Av1wyAcjoBEXUnETO2rEmY1PbxbWI0DWiu3Aif2+865q2Yi8AZwHM+tOj nnXxoUeg6gkG0zomH5BMeHpEGWg2zb4jOVH9DqfiqWf774IRzcTQM5GWs+c5IIRK5I0wAQ 1nTxfboZxSzjV/fn50KIQl/fB3HYCsZVvVqoxdnz5NNAU2z+Gc8vbpG5bkptlw== DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=ed25519-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=linutronix.de; s=2020e; t=1691014779; h=from:from:sender:sender:reply-to:reply-to:subject:subject:date:date: message-id:message-id:to:to:cc:cc:mime-version:mime-version: content-type:content-type: content-transfer-encoding:content-transfer-encoding; bh=OGY0QXP4FHWEhdiR/6iRdVnV9DOt+x/Q7BWwYGxGorU=; b=HRFTmrrnFoP78xDOUn4hrSnm6hbI6rqRLB/sZ67jUWhnVIVbK1ofVC0n5e+lcP7Im6DeB5 2IKaDZu49CMR+RAQ== From: "tip-bot2 for Rick Edgecombe" Sender: tip-bot2@linutronix.de Reply-to: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org To: linux-tip-commits@vger.kernel.org Subject: [tip: x86/shstk] Documentation/x86: Add CET shadow stack description Cc: "Yu-cheng Yu" , Rick Edgecombe , Dave Hansen , "Borislav Petkov (AMD)" , Kees Cook , "Mike Rapoport (IBM)" , Pengfei Xu , John Allen , x86@kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: <169101477860.28540.9848764492482775049.tip-bot2@tip-bot2> Robot-ID: Robot-Unsubscribe: Contact to get blacklisted from these emails Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org The following commit has been merged into the x86/shstk branch of tip: Commit-ID: 1eb2b7841c37c6aed20b50551902330c28618415 Gitweb: https://git.kernel.org/tip/1eb2b7841c37c6aed20b50551902330c2= 8618415 Author: Rick Edgecombe AuthorDate: Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:10:49 -07:00 Committer: Dave Hansen CommitterDate: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:01:50 -07:00 Documentation/x86: Add CET shadow stack description Introduce a new document on Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET). Co-developed-by: Yu-cheng Yu Signed-off-by: Yu-cheng Yu Signed-off-by: Rick Edgecombe Signed-off-by: Dave Hansen Reviewed-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) Reviewed-by: Kees Cook Acked-by: Mike Rapoport (IBM) Tested-by: Pengfei Xu Tested-by: John Allen Tested-by: Kees Cook Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20230613001108.3040476-24-rick.p.edgecomb= e%40intel.com --- Documentation/arch/x86/index.rst | 1 +- Documentation/arch/x86/shstk.rst | 169 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 2 files changed, 170 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/arch/x86/shstk.rst diff --git a/Documentation/arch/x86/index.rst b/Documentation/arch/x86/inde= x.rst index c73d133..8ac64d7 100644 --- a/Documentation/arch/x86/index.rst +++ b/Documentation/arch/x86/index.rst @@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ x86-specific Documentation mtrr pat intel-hfi + shstk iommu intel_txt amd-memory-encryption diff --git a/Documentation/arch/x86/shstk.rst b/Documentation/arch/x86/shst= k.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f09afa5 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/arch/x86/shstk.rst @@ -0,0 +1,169 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D +Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) Shadow Stack +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +CET Background +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) covers several related x86 proce= ssor +features that provide protection against control flow hijacking attacks. C= ET +can protect both applications and the kernel. + +CET introduces shadow stack and indirect branch tracking (IBT). A shadow s= tack +is a secondary stack allocated from memory which cannot be directly modifi= ed by +applications. When executing a CALL instruction, the processor pushes the +return address to both the normal stack and the shadow stack. Upon +function return, the processor pops the shadow stack copy and compares it +to the normal stack copy. If the two differ, the processor raises a +control-protection fault. IBT verifies indirect CALL/JMP targets are inten= ded +as marked by the compiler with 'ENDBR' opcodes. Not all CPU's have both Sh= adow +Stack and Indirect Branch Tracking. Today in the 64-bit kernel, only users= pace +shadow stack and kernel IBT are supported. + +Requirements to use Shadow Stack +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +To use userspace shadow stack you need HW that supports it, a kernel +configured with it and userspace libraries compiled with it. + +The kernel Kconfig option is X86_USER_SHADOW_STACK. When compiled in, sha= dow +stacks can be disabled at runtime with the kernel parameter: nousershstk. + +To build a user shadow stack enabled kernel, Binutils v2.29 or LLVM v6 or = later +are required. + +At run time, /proc/cpuinfo shows CET features if the processor supports +CET. "user_shstk" means that userspace shadow stack is supported on the cu= rrent +kernel and HW. + +Application Enabling +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +An application's CET capability is marked in its ELF note and can be verif= ied +from readelf/llvm-readelf output:: + + readelf -n | grep -a SHSTK + properties: x86 feature: SHSTK + +The kernel does not process these applications markers directly. Applicati= ons +or loaders must enable CET features using the interface described in secti= on 4. +Typically this would be done in dynamic loader or static runtime objects, = as is +the case in GLIBC. + +Enabling arch_prctl()'s +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +Elf features should be enabled by the loader using the below arch_prctl's.= They +are only supported in 64 bit user applications. These operate on the featu= res +on a per-thread basis. The enablement status is inherited on clone, so if = the +feature is enabled on the first thread, it will propagate to all the threa= d's +in an app. + +arch_prctl(ARCH_SHSTK_ENABLE, unsigned long feature) + Enable a single feature specified in 'feature'. Can only operate on + one feature at a time. + +arch_prctl(ARCH_SHSTK_DISABLE, unsigned long feature) + Disable a single feature specified in 'feature'. Can only operate on + one feature at a time. + +arch_prctl(ARCH_SHSTK_LOCK, unsigned long features) + Lock in features at their current enabled or disabled status. 'feature= s' + is a mask of all features to lock. All bits set are processed, unset b= its + are ignored. The mask is ORed with the existing value. So any feature = bits + set here cannot be enabled or disabled afterwards. + +The return values are as follows. On success, return 0. On error, errno can +be:: + + -EPERM if any of the passed feature are locked. + -ENOTSUPP if the feature is not supported by the hardware or + kernel. + -EINVAL arguments (non existing feature, etc) + +The feature's bits supported are:: + + ARCH_SHSTK_SHSTK - Shadow stack + ARCH_SHSTK_WRSS - WRSS + +Currently shadow stack and WRSS are supported via this interface. WRSS +can only be enabled with shadow stack, and is automatically disabled +if shadow stack is disabled. + +Proc Status +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D +To check if an application is actually running with shadow stack, the +user can read the /proc/$PID/status. It will report "wrss" or "shstk" +depending on what is enabled. The lines look like this:: + + x86_Thread_features: shstk wrss + x86_Thread_features_locked: shstk wrss + +Implementation of the Shadow Stack +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +Shadow Stack Size +----------------- + +A task's shadow stack is allocated from memory to a fixed size of +MIN(RLIMIT_STACK, 4 GB). In other words, the shadow stack is allocated to +the maximum size of the normal stack, but capped to 4 GB. In the case +of the clone3 syscall, there is a stack size passed in and shadow stack +uses this instead of the rlimit. + +Signal +------ + +The main program and its signal handlers use the same shadow stack. Because +the shadow stack stores only return addresses, a large shadow stack covers +the condition that both the program stack and the signal alternate stack r= un +out. + +When a signal happens, the old pre-signal state is pushed on the stack. Wh= en +shadow stack is enabled, the shadow stack specific state is pushed onto the +shadow stack. Today this is only the old SSP (shadow stack pointer), pushed +in a special format with bit 63 set. On sigreturn this old SSP token is +verified and restored by the kernel. The kernel will also push the normal +restorer address to the shadow stack to help userspace avoid a shadow stack +violation on the sigreturn path that goes through the restorer. + +So the shadow stack signal frame format is as follows:: + + |1...old SSP| - Pointer to old pre-signal ssp in sigframe token format + (bit 63 set to 1) + | ...| - Other state may be added in the future + + +32 bit ABI signals are not supported in shadow stack processes. Linux prev= ents +32 bit execution while shadow stack is enabled by the allocating shadow st= acks +outside of the 32 bit address space. When execution enters 32 bit mode, ei= ther +via far call or returning to userspace, a #GP is generated by the hardware +which, will be delivered to the process as a segfault. When transitioning = to +userspace the register's state will be as if the userspace ip being return= ed to +caused the segfault. + +Fork +---- + +The shadow stack's vma has VM_SHADOW_STACK flag set; its PTEs are required +to be read-only and dirty. When a shadow stack PTE is not RO and dirty, a +shadow access triggers a page fault with the shadow stack access bit set +in the page fault error code. + +When a task forks a child, its shadow stack PTEs are copied and both the +parent's and the child's shadow stack PTEs are cleared of the dirty bit. +Upon the next shadow stack access, the resulting shadow stack page fault +is handled by page copy/re-use. + +When a pthread child is created, the kernel allocates a new shadow stack +for the new thread. New shadow stack creation behaves like mmap() with res= pect +to ASLR behavior. Similarly, on thread exit the thread's shadow stack is +disabled. + +Exec +---- + +On exec, shadow stack features are disabled by the kernel. At which point, +userspace can choose to re-enable, or lock them.