[Bug 1911351] Re: x86-64 MTTCG Does not update page table entries atomically

[Marco]

** Description changed:

  It seems like the qemu tcg code for x86-64 doesn't write the access and
- dirty flags of the page table entries atomically. Instead, they first
+ dirty bits of the page table entries atomically. Instead, they first
  read the entry, see if they need to set the page table entry, and then
- overwrite the entry. So if you have two threads running at the same
- time, one accessing the virtual address over and over again, and the
- other modifying the page table entry, it is possible that after the
- second thread modifies the page table entry, qemu overwrites the value
- with the old page table entry value, with the access/dirty flags set.
+ write back the updated page table entry. So if you have two threads
+ running at the same time, one accessing the virtual address over and
+ over again, and the other modifying the page table entry, it is possible
+ that after the second thread modifies the page table entry, qemu
+ overwrites the value with the old page table entry value, with the
+ access/dirty flags set.
  
  Here's a unit test that reproduces this behavior:
  
  https://github.com/mvanotti/kvm-unit-
  tests/commit/09f9722807271226a714b04f25174776454b19cd
  
  You can run it with:
  
  ```
  /usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --no-reboot -nodefaults \
  -device pc-testdev -device isa-debug-exit,iobase=0xf4,iosize=0x4 \
  -vnc none -serial stdio -device pci-testdev \
  -smp 4 -machine q35 --accel tcg,thread=multi \
  -kernel x86/mmu-race.flat # -initrd /tmp/tmp.avvPpezMFf
  ```
  
  Expected output (failure):
  
  ```
  kvm-unit-tests$ make && /usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --no-reboot -nodefaults 
-device pc-testdev -device isa-debug-exit,iobase=0xf4,iosize=0x4 -vnc none 
-serial stdio -device pci-testdev -smp 4 -machine q35 --accel tcg,thread=multi  
-kernel x86/mmu-race.flat # -initrd /tmp/tmp.avvPpezMFf
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  paging enabled
  cr0 = 80010011
  cr3 = 627000
  cr4 = 20
  found 4 cpus
  PASS: Need more than 1 CPU
  Detected overwritten PTE:
-         want: 0x000000000062e007
-         got:  0x000000000062d027
+         want: 0x000000000062e007
+         got:  0x000000000062d027
  FAIL: PTE not overwritten
  PASS: All Reads were zero
  SUMMARY: 3 tests, 1 unexpected failures
  ```
  
- This bug has allows user-to-root privilege escalation inside the guest
- VM: if the user is able overwrite an entry that belongs to a second-to-
- last level page table, and is able to allocate the referenced page, then
- the user would be in control of a last-level page table, being able to
- map any memory they want. This is not uncommon in situations where
- memory is being decomitted.
+ This bug allows user-to-root privilege escalation inside the guest VM:
+ if the user is able overwrite an entry that belongs to a second-to-last
+ level page table, and is able to allocate the referenced page, then the
+ user would be in control of a last-level page table, being able to map
+ any memory they want. This is not uncommon in situations where memory is
+ being decomitted.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1911351

Title:
  x86-64 MTTCG Does not update page table entries atomically

Status in QEMU:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  It seems like the qemu tcg code for x86-64 doesn't write the access
  and dirty bits of the page table entries atomically. Instead, they
  first read the entry, see if they need to set the page table entry,
  and then write back the updated page table entry. So if you have two
  threads running at the same time, one accessing the virtual address
  over and over again, and the other modifying the page table entry, it
  is possible that after the second thread modifies the page table
  entry, qemu overwrites the value with the old page table entry value,
  with the access/dirty flags set.

  Here's a unit test that reproduces this behavior:

  https://github.com/mvanotti/kvm-unit-
  tests/commit/09f9722807271226a714b04f25174776454b19cd

  You can run it with:

  ```
  /usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --no-reboot -nodefaults \
  -device pc-testdev -device isa-debug-exit,iobase=0xf4,iosize=0x4 \
  -vnc none -serial stdio -device pci-testdev \
  -smp 4 -machine q35 --accel tcg,thread=multi \
  -kernel x86/mmu-race.flat # -initrd /tmp/tmp.avvPpezMFf
  ```

  Expected output (failure):

  ```
  kvm-unit-tests$ make && /usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --no-reboot -nodefaults 
-device pc-testdev -device isa-debug-exit,iobase=0xf4,iosize=0x4 -vnc none 
-serial stdio -device pci-testdev -smp 4 -machine q35 --accel tcg,thread=multi  
-kernel x86/mmu-race.flat # -initrd /tmp/tmp.avvPpezMFf
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  enabling apic
  paging enabled
  cr0 = 80010011
  cr3 = 627000
  cr4 = 20
  found 4 cpus
  PASS: Need more than 1 CPU
  Detected overwritten PTE:
          want: 0x000000000062e007
          got:  0x000000000062d027
  FAIL: PTE not overwritten
  PASS: All Reads were zero
  SUMMARY: 3 tests, 1 unexpected failures
  ```

  This bug allows user-to-root privilege escalation inside the guest VM:
  if the user is able overwrite an entry that belongs to a second-to-
  last level page table, and is able to allocate the referenced page,
  then the user would be in control of a last-level page table, being
  able to map any memory they want. This is not uncommon in situations
  where memory is being decomitted.

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