Re: [PATCH] proc/task_mmu: handle special PMDs in clear_refs and pagemap

From: David Hildenbrand (Arm)

Date: Fri Sep 25 2026 - 10:08:13 EST


On 9/12/26 14:28, Gregory Price wrote:
> mshv_vtl_low can install a special PMD from a PFN supplied in the mmap file
> offset. That PFN need not have a memmap entry. Reading /proc/PID/pagemap
> or writing /proc/PID/clear_refs for such a mapping oopses the kernel.
>
> With a test driver mapping the PFN at the 1 TiB mark:
>
> echo 1 > /proc/self/clear_refs
>
> BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: fffffb5b80000008
> #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
> #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
> RIP: 0010:clear_refs_pte_range+0xb1/0x1e0
> Call Trace:
> walk_pgd_range+0x50a/0xad0
> __walk_page_range+0x6a/0x1d0
> walk_page_range_mm_unsafe+0x193/0x230
> clear_refs_write+0x18e/0x3f0
>
> pread(pagemap_fd, buf, 512 * 8, addr / PAGE_SIZE * 8)
>
> BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: fffff57840000008
> RIP: 0010:pagemap_pmd_range+0x3cf/0x6b0
> Call Trace:
> walk_pgd_range+0x50a/0xad0
> __walk_page_range+0x6a/0x1d0
> walk_page_range_mm_unsafe+0x193/0x230
> pagemap_read+0x1dc/0x350
>
> clear_refs_pte_range() passes the PMD to pmd_folio(), while
> pagemap_pmd_range_thp() uses pmd_page() followed by page_folio().
>
> Both paths assume the PFN has a struct page and dereference bad address.
>
> Use vm_normal_folio_pmd() and vm_normal_page_pmd() so clear_refs skips
> folio operations and pagemap skips folio-derived flags for special PMDs.
> This matches the PTE paths, which already use vm_normal_folio() and
> vm_normal_page().
>
> User-facing notes:
> - Pagemap still reports PM_PRESENT and the PFN to a CAP_SYS_ADMIN reader.
>
> - For a special PMD backed by a valid memmap entry and for the huge
> zero PMD, PM_FILE changes from set to clear.
>
> - PM_MMAP_EXCLUSIVE is already clear in both cases.
>
> - The output for an anonymous THP is unchanged.
>
> Tested in QEMU with the test driver on broken and fixed kernels. Both proc
> operations oops before the fix and return 0 after it.
>
> Reported-by: sashiko-bot <sashiko-bot@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Closes: https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260912034833.2952750-1-gourry%40gourry.net
> Fixes: 3c8e44c9b369 ("mm: mark special bits for huge pfn mappings when inject")
> Cc: <stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> # v6.19+
> Assisted-by: LLM
> Signed-off-by: Gregory Price <gourry@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---

Simple fix, let's CC-stable indeed (unless I am too late and this is already
upstream :) )

Acked-by: David Hildenbrand (Arm) <david@xxxxxxxxxx>

--
Cheers,

David