[PATCH v2] arm64/cpufeature: annotate arm64_use_ng_mappings with ro_after_init to prevent wrong idmap generation
From: Yeoreum Yun
Date: Fri May 02 2025 - 14:04:28 EST
create_init_idmap() could be called before .bss section initialization
which is done in early_map_kernel().
Therefore, data/test_prot could be set incorrectly by PTE_MAYBE_NG macro.
PTE_MAYBE_NG macro set NG bit according to value of "arm64_use_ng_mappings".
and this variable places in .bss section.
# llvm-objdump-21 --syms vmlinux-gcc | grep arm64_use_ng_mappings
ffff800082f242a8 g O .bss 0000000000000001 arm64_use_ng_mappings
If .bss section doesn't initialized, "arm64_use_ng_mappings" would be set
with garbage value and then the text_prot or data_prot could be set incorrectly.
Here is what i saw with kernel compiled via llvm-21
// create_init_idmap()
ffff80008255c058: d10103ff sub sp, sp, #0x40
ffff80008255c05c: a9017bfd stp x29, x30, [sp, #0x10]
ffff80008255c060: a90257f6 stp x22, x21, [sp, #0x20]
ffff80008255c064: a9034ff4 stp x20, x19, [sp, #0x30]
ffff80008255c068: 910043fd add x29, sp, #0x10
ffff80008255c06c: 90003fc8 adrp x8, 0xffff800082d54000
ffff80008255c070: d280e06a mov x10, #0x703 // =1795
ffff80008255c074: 91400409 add x9, x0, #0x1, lsl #12 // =0x1000
ffff80008255c078: 394a4108 ldrb w8, [x8, #0x290] ------------- (1)
ffff80008255c07c: f2e00d0a movk x10, #0x68, lsl #48
ffff80008255c080: f90007e9 str x9, [sp, #0x8]
ffff80008255c084: aa0103f3 mov x19, x1
ffff80008255c088: aa0003f4 mov x20, x0
ffff80008255c08c: 14000000 b 0xffff80008255c08c <__pi_create_init_idmap+0x34>
ffff80008255c090: aa082d56 orr x22, x10, x8, lsl #11 -------- (2)
Note, (1) is load the arm64_use_ng_mappings value in w8 and
(2) is set the text or data prot with the w8 value to set PTE_NG bit.
If .bss section doesn't initialized, x8 can include garbage value
-- In case of some platform, x8 loaded with 0xcf -- it could generate
wrong mapping. (i.e) text_prot is expected with
PAGE_KERNEL_ROX(0x0040000000000F83) but
with garbage x8 -- 0xcf, it sets with (0x0040000000067F83)
and This makes boot failure with translation fault.
This error cannot happen according to code generated by compiler.
here is the case of gcc:
ffff80008260a940 <__pi_create_init_idmap>:
ffff80008260a940: d100c3ff sub sp, sp, #0x30
ffff80008260a944: aa0003ed mov x13, x0
ffff80008260a948: 91400400 add x0, x0, #0x1, lsl #12 // =0x1000
ffff80008260a94c: a9017bfd stp x29, x30, [sp, #0x10]
ffff80008260a950: 910043fd add x29, sp, #0x10
ffff80008260a954: f90017e0 str x0, [sp, #0x28]
ffff80008260a958: d00048c0 adrp x0, 0xffff800082f24000 <reset_devices>
ffff80008260a95c: 394aa000 ldrb w0, [x0, #0x2a8]
ffff80008260a960: 37000640 tbnz w0, #0x0, 0xffff80008260aa28 <__pi_create_init_idmap+0xe8> ---(3)
ffff80008260a964: d280f060 mov x0, #0x783 // =1923
ffff80008260a968: d280e062 mov x2, #0x703 // =1795
ffff80008260a96c: f2e00800 movk x0, #0x40, lsl #48
ffff80008260a970: f2e00d02 movk x2, #0x68, lsl #48
ffff80008260a974: aa2103e4 mvn x4, x1
ffff80008260a978: 8a210049 bic x9, x2, x1
...
ffff80008260aa28: d281f060 mov x0, #0xf83 // =3971
ffff80008260aa2c: d281e062 mov x2, #0xf03 // =3843
ffff80008260aa30: f2e00800 movk x0, #0x40, lsl #48
In case of gcc, according to value of arm64_use_ng_mappings (annoated as(3)),
it branches to each prot settup code.
However this is also problem since it branches according to garbage
value too -- idmapping with incorrect pgprot.
To resolve this, annotate arm64_use_ng_mappings as ro_after_init.
Fixes: 84b04d3e6bdb ("arm64: kernel: Create initial ID map from C code")
Cc: <stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> # 6.9.x
Tested-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Yeoreum Yun <yeoreum.yun@xxxxxxx>
---
Since v1:
- add comments explaining arm64_use_ng_mappings shouldn't place .bss
section
- fix type on commit message
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250502145755.3751405-1-yeoreum.yun@xxxxxxx/
There is another way to solve this problem by setting
test/data_prot with _PAGE_DEFAULT which doesn't include PTE_MAYBE_NG
with constanst check in create_init_idmap() to be free from
arm64_use_ng_mappings. but i think it would be better to change
arm64_use_ng_mappings as ro_after_init because it doesn't change after
init phase and solve this problem too.
---
arch/arm64/kernel/cpufeature.c | 13 ++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kernel/cpufeature.c b/arch/arm64/kernel/cpufeature.c
index d2104a1e7843..913ae2cead98 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kernel/cpufeature.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kernel/cpufeature.c
@@ -114,7 +114,18 @@ static struct arm64_cpu_capabilities const __ro_after_init *cpucap_ptrs[ARM64_NC
DECLARE_BITMAP(boot_cpucaps, ARM64_NCAPS);
-bool arm64_use_ng_mappings = false;
+/*
+ * The variable arm64_use_ng_mappings should be placed in the .rodata section.
+ * Otherwise, it would end up in the .bss section, where it is initialized in
+ * early_map_kernel(). This can cause problems because the PTE_MAYBE_NG macro
+ * uses this variable, and create_init_idmap() — which might run before
+ * early_map_kernel() — could end up generating an incorrect idmap table.
+ *
+ * In other words, accessing variable placed in .bss section before
+ * early_map_kernel() will return garbage,
+ * potentially resulting in a wrong pgprot value.
+ */
+bool arm64_use_ng_mappings __ro_after_init = false;
EXPORT_SYMBOL(arm64_use_ng_mappings);
DEFINE_PER_CPU_READ_MOSTLY(const char *, this_cpu_vector) = vectors;
--
LEVI:{C3F47F37-75D8-414A-A8BA-3980EC8A46D7}