[PATCH V3] x86: NX protection for kernel data

[PATCH V3] x86: NX protection for kernel data

[Siarhei Liakh]

This patch expands functionality of CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA to set main
(static) kernel data area as NX.
The following steps are taken to achieve this:
1. Linker script is adjusted so .text always starts and ends on a page boundary
2. Linker script is adjusted so .rodata and .data always start and
end on a page boundary
3. void mark_nxdata_nx(void) added to arch/x86/mm/init.c with actual
functionality: NX is set for all pages from _etext through _end.
4. mark_nxdata_nx() called from free_initmem() (after init has been released)
5. free_init_pages() sets released memory NX in arch/x86/mm/init.c

The patch have been developed for Linux 2.6.31-rc7 x86 by Siarhei Liakh
<sliakh.lkml@gmail.com> and Xuxian Jiang <jiang@cs.ncsu.edu>.

V1:  initial patch for 2.6.30
V2:  patch for 2.6.31-rc7
V3:  moved all code into arch/x86, adjusted credits

---

Signed-off-by: Siarhei Liakh <sliakh.lkml@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Xuxian Jiang <jiang@cs.ncsu.edu>

diff --git a/CREDITS b/CREDITS
index 1a41bf4..a24b669 100644
--- a/CREDITS
+++ b/CREDITS
@@ -1657,6 +1657,13 @@ N: Niels Kristian Bech Jensen
 E: nkbj1970@hotmail.com
 D: Miscellaneous kernel updates and fixes.

+N: Xuxian Jiang
+E: jiang@cs.ncsu.edu
+D: RO/NX protection for static kernel and LKMs
+S: North Carolina State University
+S: Raleigh, North Carolina
+S: USA
+
 N: Michael K. Johnson
 E: johnsonm@redhat.com
 W: http://www.redhat.com/~johnsonm
@@ -2068,6 +2075,13 @@ S: Post Office Box 371
 S: North Little Rock, Arkansas 72115
 S: USA

+N: Siarhei Liakh
+E: sliakh.lkml@gmail.com
+D: RO/NX protection for static kernel and LKMs
+S: North Carolina State University
+S: Raleigh, North Carolina
+S: USA
+
 N: Stephan Linz
 E: linz@mazet.de
 E: Stephan.Linz@gmx.de
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index 78d185d..1b036e3 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jiffies_64 = jiffies;

 PHDRS {
 	text PT_LOAD FLAGS(5);          /* R_E */
-	data PT_LOAD FLAGS(7);          /* RWE */
+	data PT_LOAD FLAGS(6);          /* RW_ */
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
 	user PT_LOAD FLAGS(7);          /* RWE */
 	data.init PT_LOAD FLAGS(7);     /* RWE */
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ SECTIONS
 		IRQENTRY_TEXT
 		*(.fixup)
 		*(.gnu.warning)
+		/* .text should occupy whole number of pages */
+		. = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);
 		/* End of text section */
 		_etext = .;
 	} :text = 0x9090
@@ -151,6 +153,8 @@ SECTIONS
 	.data.read_mostly : AT(ADDR(.data.read_mostly) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
 		*(.data.read_mostly)

+		/* .data should occupy whole number of pages */
+		. = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);
 		/* End of data section */
 		_edata = .;
 	}
diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/init.c b/arch/x86/mm/init.c
index 0607119..9091bc0 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/init.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/init.c
@@ -423,9 +423,10 @@ void free_init_pages(char *what, unsigned long
begin, unsigned long end)
 	/*
 	 * We just marked the kernel text read only above, now that
 	 * we are going to free part of that, we need to make that
-	 * writeable first.
+	 * writeable and non-executable first.
 	 */
 	set_memory_rw(begin, (end - begin) >> PAGE_SHIFT);
+	set_memory_nx(begin, (end - begin) >> PAGE_SHIFT);

 	printk(KERN_INFO "Freeing %s: %luk freed\n", what, (end - begin) >> 10);

@@ -440,11 +441,31 @@ void free_init_pages(char *what, unsigned long
begin, unsigned long end)
 #endif
 }

+#ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA
+static inline void mark_nxdata_nx(void) { }
+#else
+void mark_nxdata_nx(void)
+{
+	/*
+	 * When this called, init has already been executed and released,
+	 * so everything past _etext sould be NX.
+	 */
+	unsigned long start = PFN_ALIGN(_etext);
+	unsigned long size = PFN_ALIGN(_end) - start;
+
+	printk(KERN_INFO "NX-protecting the kernel data: %lx, %lu pages\n",
+		start, size >> PAGE_SHIFT);
+	set_pages_nx(virt_to_page(start), size >> PAGE_SHIFT);
+}
+#endif
+
 void free_initmem(void)
 {
 	free_init_pages("unused kernel memory",
 			(unsigned long)(&__init_begin),
 			(unsigned long)(&__init_end));
+	/* Set kernel's data as NX */
+	mark_nxdata_nx();
 }

 #ifdef CONFIG_BLK_DEV_INITRD

Re: [PATCH V3] x86: NX protection for kernel data

[Ingo Molnar]

* Siarhei Liakh <sliakh.lkml@gmail.com> wrote:

> This patch expands functionality of CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA to set main
> (static) kernel data area as NX.
> The following steps are taken to achieve this:
> 1. Linker script is adjusted so .text always starts and ends on a page boundary
> 2. Linker script is adjusted so .rodata and .data always start and
> end on a page boundary
> 3. void mark_nxdata_nx(void) added to arch/x86/mm/init.c with actual
> functionality: NX is set for all pages from _etext through _end.
> 4. mark_nxdata_nx() called from free_initmem() (after init has been released)
> 5. free_init_pages() sets released memory NX in arch/x86/mm/init.c
> 
> The patch have been developed for Linux 2.6.31-rc7 x86 by Siarhei Liakh
> <sliakh.lkml@gmail.com> and Xuxian Jiang <jiang@cs.ncsu.edu>.
> 
> V1:  initial patch for 2.6.30
> V2:  patch for 2.6.31-rc7
> V3:  moved all code into arch/x86, adjusted credits

ok, i like it.

One small cleanliness detail before we can apply it to the x86 tree:

> --- a/arch/x86/mm/init.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/mm/init.c
> @@ -440,11 +441,31 @@ void free_init_pages(char *what, unsigned long
> begin, unsigned long end)
>  #endif
>  }
> 
> +#ifndef CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA
> +static inline void mark_nxdata_nx(void) { }
> +#else
> +void mark_nxdata_nx(void)
> +{
> +	/*
> +	 * When this called, init has already been executed and released,
> +	 * so everything past _etext sould be NX.
> +	 */
> +	unsigned long start = PFN_ALIGN(_etext);
> +	unsigned long size = PFN_ALIGN(_end) - start;
> +
> +	printk(KERN_INFO "NX-protecting the kernel data: %lx, %lu pages\n",
> +		start, size >> PAGE_SHIFT);
> +	set_pages_nx(virt_to_page(start), size >> PAGE_SHIFT);
> +}
> +#endif

This #ifdef looks ugly, it starts with an #ifndef which is inverted 
logic and mark_nxdata_nx() is a global symbol, needlessly. It should 
be written as something like:

static void mark_nxdata_nx(void)
{
#ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA
...
#endif
}

Thanks,

	Ingo

Re: [PATCH V3] x86: NX protection for kernel data

[Américo Wang]

On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 9:13 AM, Siarhei Liakh<sliakh.lkml@gmail.com> wrote:
> This patch expands functionality of CONFIG_DEBUG_RODATA to set main
> (static) kernel data area as NX.
> The following steps are taken to achieve this:
> 1. Linker script is adjusted so .text always starts and ends on a page boundary
> 2. Linker script is adjusted so .rodata and .data always start and
> end on a page boundary
> 3. void mark_nxdata_nx(void) added to arch/x86/mm/init.c with actual
> functionality: NX is set for all pages from _etext through _end.
> 4. mark_nxdata_nx() called from free_initmem() (after init has been released)
> 5. free_init_pages() sets released memory NX in arch/x86/mm/init.c
>
> The patch have been developed for Linux 2.6.31-rc7 x86 by Siarhei Liakh
> <sliakh.lkml@gmail.com> and Xuxian Jiang <jiang@cs.ncsu.edu>.
>
> V1:  initial patch for 2.6.30
> V2:  patch for 2.6.31-rc7
> V3:  moved all code into arch/x86, adjusted credits


Looks fine, but I don't think it is necessary to bother "CREDITS",
because now we have git. :)

Thanks.