Mailing List Archive

commit 18c128ba66e6308744850aca96dbffd18f91c29b
Author: Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>
AuthorDate: Thu Jan 26 14:57:45 2023 +0000
Commit: Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>
CommitDate: Fri Apr 14 18:18:20 2023 +0100

x86/hvm: Disallow disabling paging in 64bit mode

The Long Mode consistency checks exist to "ensure that the processor does not
enter an undefined mode or state that results in unpredictable behavior". APM
Vol2 Table 14-5 "Long-Mode Consistency Checks" lists them, but there is no row
preventing the OS from trying to exit Long mode while in 64bit mode. This
could leave the CPU in Protected Mode with an %rip above the 4G boundary.

Experimentally, AMD CPUs really do permit this state transition. An OS which
tries it hits an instant SHUTDOWN, even in cases where the truncation I expect
to be going on behind the scenes ought to result in sane continued execution.

Furthermore, right from the very outset, the APM Vol2 14.7 "Leaving Long Mode"
section instructs peoples to switch to a compatibility mode segment first
before clearing CR0.PG, which does clear out the upper bits in %rip. This is
further backed up by Vol2 Figure 1-6 "Operating Modes of the AMD64
Architecture".

Either way, this appears to have been a genuine oversight in the AMD64 spec.

Intel, on the other hand, rejects this state transition with #GP.

Between revision 71 (Nov 2019) and 72 (May 2020) of SDM Vol3, a footnote to
4.1.2 "Paging-Mode Enable" was altered from

If CR4.PCIDE= 1, an attempt to clear CR0.PG causes a general-protection
exception (#GP); software should clear CR4.PCIDE before attempting to
disable paging.

to

If the logical processor is in 64-bit mode or if CR4.PCIDE= 1, an attempt to
clear CR0.PG causes a general-protection exception (#GP). Software should
transition to compatibility mode and clear CR4.PCIDE before attempting to
disable paging.

which acknowledges this corner case, but there doesn't appear to be any other
discussion even in the relevant Long Mode sections.

So it appears that Intel spotted and addressed the corner case in IA-32e mode,
but were 15 years late to document it.

Xen was written to the AMD spec, and misses the check. Follow the Intel
behaviour, because it is more sensible and avoids hitting a VMEntry failure.

Signed-off-by: Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>
Acked-by: Roger Pau Monné <roger.pau@citrix.com>
---
xen/arch/x86/hvm/hvm.c | 15 +++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 15 insertions(+)

diff --git a/xen/arch/x86/hvm/hvm.c b/xen/arch/x86/hvm/hvm.c
index 1454c1732d..d7d31b5393 100644
--- a/xen/arch/x86/hvm/hvm.c
+++ b/xen/arch/x86/hvm/hvm.c
@@ -2340,6 +2340,21 @@ int hvm_set_cr0(unsigned long value, bool may_defer)
}
else if ( !(value & X86_CR0_PG) && (old_value & X86_CR0_PG) )
{
+ struct segment_register cs;
+
+ hvm_get_segment_register(v, x86_seg_cs, &cs);
+
+ /*
+ * Intel documents a #GP fault in this case, and VMEntry checks reject
+ * it as a valid state. AMD permits the state transition, and hits
+ * SHUTDOWN immediately thereafter. Follow the Intel behaviour.
+ */
+ if ( (v->arch.hvm.guest_efer & EFER_LME) && cs.l )
+ {
+ HVM_DBG_LOG(DBG_LEVEL_1, "Guest attempt to clear CR0.PG in 64bit mode");
+ return X86EMUL_EXCEPTION;
+ }
+
if ( hvm_pcid_enabled(v) )
{
HVM_DBG_LOG(DBG_LEVEL_1, "Guest attempts to clear CR0.PG "
--
generated by git-patchbot for /home/xen/git/xen.git#master