Re: [PATCH v7 1/6] x86/bugs: Add asm helpers for executing VERW

From: Borislav Petkov
Date: Fri Feb 09 2024 - 14:57:52 EST


On Fri, Feb 09, 2024 at 11:06:02AM -0800, Pawan Gupta wrote:
> (Though, there was a comment on avoiding the macro alltogether, to which
> I replied that it complicates 32-bit.)

Hmm, so this seems to build the respective entry_{32,64}.S TUs fine:

---
diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
index e81cabcb758f..7d1e5fe66495 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h
@@ -313,12 +313,9 @@
*
* Note: Only the memory operand variant of VERW clears the CPU buffers.
*/
-.macro EXEC_VERW
- verw _ASM_RIP(mds_verw_sel)
-.endm

.macro CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS
- ALTERNATIVE "", __stringify(EXEC_VERW), X86_FEATURE_CLEAR_CPU_BUF
+ ALTERNATIVE "", __stringify(verw _ASM_RIP(mds_verw_sel)), X86_FEATURE_CLEAR_CPU_BUF
.endm

#else /* __ASSEMBLY__ */
---

and looking at the asm:

64-bit:

# 317 "./arch/x86/include/asm/nospec-branch.h"
macro CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS
ALTERNATIVE "", "verw mds_verw_sel (% rip)", ( 3*32+18)
endm

23: 0f 00 2d 00 00 00 00 verw 0x0(%rip) # 2a <.altinstr_replacement+0x2a>

32-bit:

macro CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS
ALTERNATIVE "", "verw mds_verw_sel", ( 3*32+18)
endm

13d: 0f 00 2d 00 00 00 00 verw 0x0

it makes sense.

So what complications do you mean?

--
Regards/Gruss,
Boris.

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