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diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/tsx_async_abort.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/tsx_async_abort.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..fddbd7579c53 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/hw-vuln/tsx_async_abort.rst @@ -0,0 +1,276 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +TAA - TSX Asynchronous Abort +====================================== + +TAA is a hardware vulnerability that allows unprivileged speculative access to +data which is available in various CPU internal buffers by using asynchronous +aborts within an Intel TSX transactional region. + +Affected processors +------------------- + +This vulnerability only affects Intel processors that support Intel +Transactional Synchronization Extensions (TSX) when the TAA_NO bit (bit 8) +is 0 in the IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES MSR. On processors where the MDS_NO bit +(bit 5) is 0 in the IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES MSR, the existing MDS mitigations +also mitigate against TAA. + +Whether a processor is affected or not can be read out from the TAA +vulnerability file in sysfs. See :ref:`tsx_async_abort_sys_info`. + +Related CVEs +------------ + +The following CVE entry is related to this TAA issue: + + ============== ===== =================================================== + CVE-2019-11135 TAA TSX Asynchronous Abort (TAA) condition on some + microprocessors utilizing speculative execution may + allow an authenticated user to potentially enable + information disclosure via a side channel with + local access. + ============== ===== =================================================== + +Problem +------- + +When performing store, load or L1 refill operations, processors write +data into temporary microarchitectural structures (buffers). The data in +those buffers can be forwarded to load operations as an optimization. + +Intel TSX is an extension to the x86 instruction set architecture that adds +hardware transactional memory support to improve performance of multi-threaded +software. TSX lets the processor expose and exploit concurrency hidden in an +application due to dynamically avoiding unnecessary synchronization. + +TSX supports atomic memory transactions that are either committed (success) or +aborted. During an abort, operations that happened within the transactional region +are rolled back. An asynchronous abort takes place, among other options, when a +different thread accesses a cache line that is also used within the transactional +region when that access might lead to a data race. + +Immediately after an uncompleted asynchronous abort, certain speculatively +executed loads may read data from those internal buffers and pass it to dependent +operations. This can be then used to infer the value via a cache side channel +attack. + +Because the buffers are potentially shared between Hyper-Threads cross +Hyper-Thread attacks are possible. + +The victim of a malicious actor does not need to make use of TSX. Only the +attacker needs to begin a TSX transaction and raise an asynchronous abort +which in turn potenitally leaks data stored in the buffers. + +More detailed technical information is available in the TAA specific x86 +architecture section: :ref:`Documentation/x86/tsx_async_abort.rst <tsx_async_abort>`. + + +Attack scenarios +---------------- + +Attacks against the TAA vulnerability can be implemented from unprivileged +applications running on hosts or guests. + +As for MDS, the attacker has no control over the memory addresses that can +be leaked. Only the victim is responsible for bringing data to the CPU. As +a result, the malicious actor has to sample as much data as possible and +then postprocess it to try to infer any useful information from it. + +A potential attacker only has read access to the data. Also, there is no direct +privilege escalation by using this technique. + + +.. _tsx_async_abort_sys_info: + +TAA system information +----------------------- + +The Linux kernel provides a sysfs interface to enumerate the current TAA status +of mitigated systems. The relevant sysfs file is: + +/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/tsx_async_abort + +The possible values in this file are: + +.. list-table:: + + * - 'Vulnerable' + - The CPU is affected by this vulnerability and the microcode and kernel mitigation are not applied. + * - 'Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode' + - The system tries to clear the buffers but the microcode might not support the operation. + * - 'Mitigation: Clear CPU buffers' + - The microcode has been updated to clear the buffers. TSX is still enabled. + * - 'Mitigation: TSX disabled' + - TSX is disabled. + * - 'Not affected' + - The CPU is not affected by this issue. + +.. _ucode_needed: + +Best effort mitigation mode +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +If the processor is vulnerable, but the availability of the microcode-based +mitigation mechanism is not advertised via CPUID the kernel selects a best +effort mitigation mode. This mode invokes the mitigation instructions +without a guarantee that they clear the CPU buffers. + +This is done to address virtualization scenarios where the host has the +microcode update applied, but the hypervisor is not yet updated to expose the +CPUID to the guest. If the host has updated microcode the protection takes +effect; otherwise a few CPU cycles are wasted pointlessly. + +The state in the tsx_async_abort sysfs file reflects this situation +accordingly. + + +Mitigation mechanism +-------------------- + +The kernel detects the affected CPUs and the presence of the microcode which is +required. If a CPU is affected and the microcode is available, then the kernel +enables the mitigation by default. + + +The mitigation can be controlled at boot time via a kernel command line option. +See :ref:`taa_mitigation_control_command_line`. + +.. _virt_mechanism: + +Virtualization mitigation +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +Affected systems where the host has TAA microcode and TAA is mitigated by +having disabled TSX previously, are not vulnerable regardless of the status +of the VMs. + +In all other cases, if the host either does not have the TAA microcode or +the kernel is not mitigated, the system might be vulnerable. + + +.. _taa_mitigation_control_command_line: + +Mitigation control on the kernel command line +--------------------------------------------- + +The kernel command line allows to control the TAA mitigations at boot time with +the option "tsx_async_abort=". The valid arguments for this option are: + + ============ ============================================================= + off This option disables the TAA mitigation on affected platforms. + If the system has TSX enabled (see next parameter) and the CPU + is affected, the system is vulnerable. + + full TAA mitigation is enabled. If TSX is enabled, on an affected + system it will clear CPU buffers on ring transitions. On + systems which are MDS-affected and deploy MDS mitigation, + TAA is also mitigated. Specifying this option on those + systems will have no effect. + + full,nosmt The same as tsx_async_abort=full, with SMT disabled on + vulnerable CPUs that have TSX enabled. This is the complete + mitigation. When TSX is disabled, SMT is not disabled because + CPU is not vulnerable to cross-thread TAA attacks. + ============ ============================================================= + +Not specifying this option is equivalent to "tsx_async_abort=full". + +The kernel command line also allows to control the TSX feature using the +parameter "tsx=" on CPUs which support TSX control. MSR_IA32_TSX_CTRL is used +to control the TSX feature and the enumeration of the TSX feature bits (RTM +and HLE) in CPUID. + +The valid options are: + + ============ ============================================================= + off Disables TSX on the system. + + Note that this option takes effect only on newer CPUs which are + not vulnerable to MDS, i.e., have MSR_IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES.MDS_NO=1 + and which get the new IA32_TSX_CTRL MSR through a microcode + update. This new MSR allows for the reliable deactivation of + the TSX functionality. + + on Enables TSX. + + Although there are mitigations for all known security + vulnerabilities, TSX has been known to be an accelerator for + several previous speculation-related CVEs, and so there may be + unknown security risks associated with leaving it enabled. + + auto Disables TSX if X86_BUG_TAA is present, otherwise enables TSX + on the system. + ============ ============================================================= + +Not specifying this option is equivalent to "tsx=off". + +The following combinations of the "tsx_async_abort" and "tsx" are possible. For +affected platforms tsx=auto is equivalent to tsx=off and the result will be: + + ========= ========================== ========================================= + tsx=on tsx_async_abort=full The system will use VERW to clear CPU + buffers. Cross-thread attacks are still + possible on SMT machines. + tsx=on tsx_async_abort=full,nosmt As above, cross-thread attacks on SMT + mitigated. + tsx=on tsx_async_abort=off The system is vulnerable. + tsx=off tsx_async_abort=full TSX might be disabled if microcode + provides a TSX control MSR. If so, + system is not vulnerable. + tsx=off tsx_async_abort=full,nosmt Ditto + tsx=off tsx_async_abort=off ditto + ========= ========================== ========================================= + + +For unaffected platforms "tsx=on" and "tsx_async_abort=full" does not clear CPU +buffers. For platforms without TSX control (MSR_IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES.MDS_NO=0) +"tsx" command line argument has no effect. + +For the affected platforms below table indicates the mitigation status for the +combinations of CPUID bit MD_CLEAR and IA32_ARCH_CAPABILITIES MSR bits MDS_NO +and TSX_CTRL_MSR. + + ======= ========= ============= ======================================== + MDS_NO MD_CLEAR TSX_CTRL_MSR Status + ======= ========= ============= ======================================== + 0 0 0 Vulnerable (needs microcode) + 0 1 0 MDS and TAA mitigated via VERW + 1 1 0 MDS fixed, TAA vulnerable if TSX enabled + because MD_CLEAR has no meaning and + VERW is not guaranteed to clear buffers + 1 X 1 MDS fixed, TAA can be mitigated by + VERW or TSX_CTRL_MSR + ======= ========= ============= ======================================== + +Mitigation selection guide +-------------------------- + +1. Trusted userspace and guests +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +If all user space applications are from a trusted source and do not execute +untrusted code which is supplied externally, then the mitigation can be +disabled. The same applies to virtualized environments with trusted guests. + + +2. Untrusted userspace and guests +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +If there are untrusted applications or guests on the system, enabling TSX +might allow a malicious actor to leak data from the host or from other +processes running on the same physical core. + +If the microcode is available and the TSX is disabled on the host, attacks +are prevented in a virtualized environment as well, even if the VMs do not +explicitly enable the mitigation. + + +.. _taa_default_mitigations: + +Default mitigations +------------------- + +The kernel's default action for vulnerable processors is: + + - Deploy TSX disable mitigation (tsx_async_abort=full tsx=off). |