[PATCH v3] perf/core: Drop kernel samples even though :u is specified

[Jin Yao]

Change-log:
-----------

v3: Change function name skid_kernel_samples to sample_is_allowed.
    Remove the new cap PERF_PMU_CAP_NO_SKID. For those PMUs without
    skid, when not sampling the kernel, user_mode(regs) should always
    be true. So it looks the new cap is not necessary. Remove the
    checking for PERF_SAMPLE_IP. Thanks for Mark Rutland's comments.

v2: Since other arch has similar skid issue in sampling, so move the
    skid checking from x86 code to generic code. Use a new flag
    PERF_PMU_CAP_NO_SKID to let arch decide if keep original behavior
    or drop the skid kernel samples.

-----------

When doing sampling, for example,

perf record -e cycles:u ...

On workloads that do a lot of kernel entry/exits we see kernel
samples, even though :u is specified. This is due to skid existing.

This is a security issue because it can leak kernel addresses even
though kernel sampling support is disabled.

The patch drops the kernel samples if exclude_kernel is specified.

For example, test on Haswell desktop.

perf record -e cycles:u <mgen>
perf report --stdio

Before patch applied:

    99.77%  mgen     mgen              [.] buf_read
     0.20%  mgen     mgen              [.] rand_buf_init
     0.01%  mgen     [kernel.vmlinux]  [k] apic_timer_interrupt
     0.00%  mgen     mgen              [.] last_free_elem
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so      [.] __random_r
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so      [.] _int_malloc
     0.00%  mgen     mgen              [.] rand_array_init
     0.00%  mgen     [kernel.vmlinux]  [k] page_fault
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so      [.] __random
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so      [.] __strcasestr
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so        [.] strcmp
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so        [.] _dl_start
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so      [.] sched_setaffinity@@GLIBC_2.3.4
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so        [.] _start

We can see kernel symbols apic_timer_interrupt and page_fault.

After patch applied:

    99.79%  mgen     mgen           [.] buf_read
     0.19%  mgen     mgen           [.] rand_buf_init
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] __random_r
     0.00%  mgen     mgen           [.] rand_array_init
     0.00%  mgen     mgen           [.] last_free_elem
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] vfprintf
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] rand
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] __random
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] _int_malloc
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] _IO_doallocbuf
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so     [.] do_lookup_x
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so     [.] open_verify.constprop.7
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so     [.] _dl_important_hwcaps
     0.00%  mgen     libc-2.23.so   [.] sched_setaffinity@@GLIBC_2.3.4
     0.00%  mgen     ld-2.23.so     [.] _start

There are only userspace symbols.

Signed-off-by: Jin Yao <yao.jin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
 kernel/events/core.c | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index 6e75a5c..6c4e523 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -7316,6 +7316,21 @@ int perf_event_account_interrupt(struct perf_event *event)
 	return __perf_event_account_interrupt(event, 1);
 }
 
+static bool sample_is_allowed(struct perf_event *event, struct pt_regs *regs)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Due to interrupt latency (AKA "skid"), we may enter the
+	 * kernel before taking an overflow, even if the PMU is only
+	 * counting user events.
+	 * To avoid leaking information to userspace, we must always
+	 * reject kernel samples when exclude_kernel is set.
+	 */
+	if (event->attr.exclude_kernel && !user_mode(regs))
+		return false;
+
+	return true;
+}
+
 /*
  * Generic event overflow handling, sampling.
  */
@@ -7337,6 +7352,12 @@ static int __perf_event_overflow(struct perf_event *event,
 	ret = __perf_event_account_interrupt(event, throttle);
 
 	/*
+	 * For security, drop the skid kernel samples if necessary.
+	 */
+	if (!sample_is_allowed(event, regs))
+		return ret;
+
+	/*
 	 * XXX event_limit might not quite work as expected on inherited
 	 * events
 	 */
-- 
2.7.4