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Date:   Sun, 2 Oct 2022 12:33:36 +0200
From:   Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>
To:     Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@linux.intel.com>
Cc:     linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Guenter Roeck <linux@roeck-us.net>,
        Ard Biesheuvel <ardb@kernel.org>,
        Darren Hart <dvhart@infradead.org>,
        Andy Shevchenko <andy@infradead.org>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@alien8.de>,
        x86@kernel.org, linux-efi@vger.kernel.org,
        "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>, Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86/mm: Disable W^X detection and enforcement on 32-bit
Message-ID: <20221002103336.GB10085@duo.ucw.cz>
References: <20220923221730.1860518-1-dave.hansen@linux.intel.com>
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Hi!

> The 32-bit code is in a weird spot.  Some 32-bit builds (non-PAE) do not
> even have NX support.  Even PAE builds that support NX have to contend
> with things like EFI data and code mixed in the same pages where W+X
> is unavoidable.
>=20
> The folks still running X86_32=3Dy kernels are unlikely to care much about
> NX.  That combined with the fundamental inability fix _all_ of the W+X
> things means this code had little value on X86_32=3Dy.  Disable the check=
s.

> ---
>  arch/x86/mm/pat/set_memory.c | 8 ++++++++
>  1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)
>=20
> diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/pat/set_memory.c b/arch/x86/mm/pat/set_memory.c
> index 20b1e24baa85..efe882c753ca 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/mm/pat/set_memory.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/mm/pat/set_memory.c
> @@ -587,6 +587,14 @@ static inline pgprot_t verify_rwx(pgprot_t old, pgpr=
ot_t new, unsigned long star
>  {
>  	unsigned long end;
> =20
> +	/*
> +	 * 32-bit has some unfixable W+X issues, like EFI code
> +	 * and writeable data being in the same page.  Disable
> +	 * detection and enforcement there.
> +	 */
> +	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_X86_32))
> +		return new;
> +

You are going from extreme to extreme. W^X is useful on x86-32 at
least in some configs, so it would make sense to detect and inform
about the issues (perhaps with something like KERN_INFO).

Best regards,
							Pavel
--=20
People of Russia, stop Putin before his war on Ukraine escalates.

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