[PATCH] arm64: mm: account for hotplug memory when randomizing the linear region

[Florian Fainelli]

On 1/20/2025 5:59 AM, Greg KH wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 13, 2025 at 07:44:50AM -0800, Florian Fainelli wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 1/12/2025 3:54 AM, Greg KH wrote:
>>> On Thu, Jan 09, 2025 at 09:01:13AM -0800, Florian Fainelli wrote:
>>>> On 1/9/25 08:54, Florian Fainelli wrote:
>>>>> From: Ard Biesheuvel <ardb at kernel.org>
>>>>>
>>>>> commit 97d6786e0669daa5c2f2d07a057f574e849dfd3e upstream
>>>>>
>>>>> As a hardening measure, we currently randomize the placement of
>>>>> physical memory inside the linear region when KASLR is in effect.
>>>>> Since the random offset at which to place the available physical
>>>>> memory inside the linear region is chosen early at boot, it is
>>>>> based on the memblock description of memory, which does not cover
>>>>> hotplug memory. The consequence of this is that the randomization
>>>>> offset may be chosen such that any hotplugged memory located above
>>>>> memblock_end_of_DRAM() that appears later is pushed off the end of
>>>>> the linear region, where it cannot be accessed.
>>>>>
>>>>> So let's limit this randomization of the linear region to ensure
>>>>> that this can no longer happen, by using the CPU's addressable PA
>>>>> range instead. As it is guaranteed that no hotpluggable memory will
>>>>> appear that falls outside of that range, we can safely put this PA
>>>>> range sized window anywhere in the linear region.
>>>>>
>>>>> Signed-off-by: Ard Biesheuvel <ardb at kernel.org>
>>>>> Cc: Anshuman Khandual <anshuman.khandual at arm.com>
>>>>> Cc: Will Deacon <will at kernel.org>
>>>>> Cc: Steven Price <steven.price at arm.com>
>>>>> Cc: Robin Murphy <robin.murphy at arm.com>
>>>>> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20201014081857.3288-1-ardb@kernel.org
>>>>> Signed-off-by: Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas at arm.com>
>>>>> Signed-off-by: Florian Fainelli <florian.fainelli at broadcom.com>
>>>>
>>>> Forgot to update the patch subject, but this one is for 5.10.
>>>
>>> You also forgot to tell us _why_ this is needed :(
>>
>> This is explained in the second part of the first paragraph:
>>
>> The consequence of this is that the randomization offset may be chosen such
>> that any hotplugged memory located above memblock_end_of_DRAM() that appears
>> later is pushed off the end of the linear region, where it cannot be
>> accessed.
>>
>> We use both memory hotplug and KASLR on our systems and that's how we
>> eventually found out about the bug.
> 
> And you still have 5.10.y ARM64 systems that need this?  Why not move to
> a newer kernel version already?

We still have ARM64 systems running 5.4 that need this, and the same bug 
applies to 5.10 that we used to support but dropped in favor of 
5.15/6.1. Those are the kernel versions used by Android, and Android TV 
in particular, so it's kind of the way it goes for us.

> 
> Anyway, I need an ack from the ARM64 maintainers that this is ok to
> apply here before I can take it.

Just out of curiosity, the change is pretty innocuous and simple to 
review, why the extra scrutiny needed here?
-- 
Florian