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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/userspace-api/spec_ctrl.rst')
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diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/spec_ctrl.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/spec_ctrl.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..32f3d55c54b7 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/spec_ctrl.rst @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +=================== +Speculation Control +=================== + +Quite some CPUs have speculation-related misfeatures which are in +fact vulnerabilities causing data leaks in various forms even across +privilege domains. + +The kernel provides mitigation for such vulnerabilities in various +forms. Some of these mitigations are compile-time configurable and some +can be supplied on the kernel command line. + +There is also a class of mitigations which are very expensive, but they can +be restricted to a certain set of processes or tasks in controlled +environments. The mechanism to control these mitigations is via +:manpage:`prctl(2)`. + +There are two prctl options which are related to this: + + * PR_GET_SPECULATION_CTRL + + * PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL + +PR_GET_SPECULATION_CTRL +----------------------- + +PR_GET_SPECULATION_CTRL returns the state of the speculation misfeature +which is selected with arg2 of prctl(2). The return value uses bits 0-3 with +the following meaning: + +==== ===================== =================================================== +Bit Define Description +==== ===================== =================================================== +0 PR_SPEC_PRCTL Mitigation can be controlled per task by + PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL. +1 PR_SPEC_ENABLE The speculation feature is enabled, mitigation is + disabled. +2 PR_SPEC_DISABLE The speculation feature is disabled, mitigation is + enabled. +3 PR_SPEC_FORCE_DISABLE Same as PR_SPEC_DISABLE, but cannot be undone. A + subsequent prctl(..., PR_SPEC_ENABLE) will fail. +==== ===================== =================================================== + +If all bits are 0 the CPU is not affected by the speculation misfeature. + +If PR_SPEC_PRCTL is set, then the per-task control of the mitigation is +available. If not set, prctl(PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL) for the speculation +misfeature will fail. + +PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL +----------------------- + +PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL allows to control the speculation misfeature, which +is selected by arg2 of :manpage:`prctl(2)` per task. arg3 is used to hand +in the control value, i.e. either PR_SPEC_ENABLE or PR_SPEC_DISABLE or +PR_SPEC_FORCE_DISABLE. + +Common error codes +------------------ +======= ================================================================= +Value Meaning +======= ================================================================= +EINVAL The prctl is not implemented by the architecture or unused + prctl(2) arguments are not 0. + +ENODEV arg2 is selecting a not supported speculation misfeature. +======= ================================================================= + +PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL error codes +----------------------------------- +======= ================================================================= +Value Meaning +======= ================================================================= +0 Success + +ERANGE arg3 is incorrect, i.e. it's neither PR_SPEC_ENABLE nor + PR_SPEC_DISABLE nor PR_SPEC_FORCE_DISABLE. + +ENXIO Control of the selected speculation misfeature is not possible. + See PR_GET_SPECULATION_CTRL. + +EPERM Speculation was disabled with PR_SPEC_FORCE_DISABLE and caller + tried to enable it again. +======= ================================================================= + +Speculation misfeature controls +------------------------------- +- PR_SPEC_STORE_BYPASS: Speculative Store Bypass + + Invocations: + * prctl(PR_GET_SPECULATION_CTRL, PR_SPEC_STORE_BYPASS, 0, 0, 0); + * prctl(PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL, PR_SPEC_STORE_BYPASS, PR_SPEC_ENABLE, 0, 0); + * prctl(PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL, PR_SPEC_STORE_BYPASS, PR_SPEC_DISABLE, 0, 0); + * prctl(PR_SET_SPECULATION_CTRL, PR_SPEC_STORE_BYPASS, PR_SPEC_FORCE_DISABLE, 0, 0); |