Re: [PATCH 4/6] x86: kaslr: select random base offset

From: H. Peter Anvin
Date: Fri Apr 26 2013 - 17:51:00 EST


On 04/26/2013 12:03 PM, Kees Cook wrote:
> +
> +static unsigned long get_random_long(void)
> +{
> + if (has_cpuflag(X86_FEATURE_RDRAND)) {
> + unsigned long random;
> +
> + debug_putstr("KASLR using RDRAND...\n");
> + if (rdrand(&random))
> + return random;
> + }
> +
> + if (has_cpuflag(X86_FEATURE_TSC)) {
> + uint32_t raw;
> + unsigned long timer;
> +
> + debug_putstr("KASLR using RDTSC...\n");
> + rdtscl(raw);
> +
> + /* Repeat the low bits of rdtsc. */
> + timer = raw & 0xffff;
> + timer |= (timer << 16);
> +#ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
> + timer |= (timer << 32) | (timer << 48);
> +#endif
> +

This seems like a very odd thing to do. If you want to scramble bits,
it would make more sense to do a multiply -- or much better, a
*circular* multiply -- with a large constant.

> + return timer;
> + }
> +
> + debug_putstr("KASLR found no entropy source...\n");
> + return 0;
> +}
>

It might be safe to assume that anything old enough to lack RDTSC
(basically a 486) will have an 8254, and reading back the 8254 counter
register.

-hpa


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