Thread (5 messages) 5 messages, 3 authors, 2025-10-17

Re: [PATCH v2] arm64: debug: always unmask interrupts in el0_softstp()

From: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>
Date: 2025-10-14 09:46:43
Also in: stable

On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 10:25:36AM +0100, Ada Couprie Diaz wrote:
EL0 exception handlers should always call `exit_to_user_mode()` with
interrupts unmasked.
When handling a completed single-step, we skip the if block and
`local_daif_restore(DAIF_PROCCTX)` never gets called,
which ends up calling `exit_to_user_mode()` with interrupts masked.

This is broken if pNMI is in use, as `do_notify_resume()` will try
to enable interrupts, but `local_irq_enable()` will only change the PMR,
leaving interrupts masked via DAIF.
I think we might want to spell thius out a bit more, e.g.

| We intend that EL0 exception handlers unmask all DAIF exceptions
| before calling exit_to_user_mode().
|
| When completing single-step of a suspended breakpoint, we do not call
| local_daif_restore(DAIF_PROCCTX) before calling exit_to_user_mode(),
| leaving all DAIF exceptions masked.
|
| When pseudo-NMIs are not in use this is benign.
|
| When pseudo-NMIs are in use, this is unsound. At this point interrupts
| are masked by both DAIF.IF and PMR_EL1, and subsequent irq flag
| manipulation may not work correctly. For example, a subsequent
| local_irq_enable() within exit_to_user_mode_loop() will only unmask
| interrupts via PMR_EL1 (leaving those masked via DAIF.IF), and
| anything depending on interrupts being unmasked (e.g. delivery of
| signals) will not work correctly.
|
| This can by detected by CONFIG_ARM64_DEBUG_PRIORITY_MASKING.

With or without that, this looks good to me, so:

Acked-by: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>

Mark.
quoted hunk ↗ jump to hunk
Move the call to `try_step_suspended_breakpoints()` outside of the check
so that interrupts can be unmasked even if we don't call the step handler.

Fixes: 0ac7584c08ce ("arm64: debug: split single stepping exception entry")
Cc: <redacted> # 6.17
Signed-off-by: Ada Couprie Diaz <redacted>
----
This was already broken in a similar fashion in kernels prior to v6.17,
as `local_daif_restore()` was called _after_ the debug handlers, with some
calling `send_user_sigtrap()` which would unmask interrupts via PMR
while leaving them masked by DAIF.

v2: Add missing semicolon so that the patch compiles.
My mistake for rushing a fix late, apologies.
---
 arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c | 8 +++++---
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c b/arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c
index 2b0c5925502e..8473fe4791bc 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c
@@ -832,6 +832,7 @@ static void noinstr el0_breakpt(struct pt_regs *regs, unsigned long esr)
 
 static void noinstr el0_softstp(struct pt_regs *regs, unsigned long esr)
 {
+	bool step_done;
 	if (!is_ttbr0_addr(regs->pc))
 		arm64_apply_bp_hardening();
 
@@ -842,10 +843,11 @@ static void noinstr el0_softstp(struct pt_regs *regs, unsigned long esr)
 	 * If we are stepping a suspended breakpoint there's nothing more to do:
 	 * the single-step is complete.
 	 */
-	if (!try_step_suspended_breakpoints(regs)) {
-		local_daif_restore(DAIF_PROCCTX);
+	step_done = try_step_suspended_breakpoints(regs);
+	local_daif_restore(DAIF_PROCCTX);
+	if (!step_done)
 		do_el0_softstep(esr, regs);
-	}
+
 	exit_to_user_mode(regs);
 }
 
base-commit: 449d48b1b99fdaa076166e200132705ac2bee711
-- 
2.43.0
  
Keyboard shortcuts
hback out one level
jnext message in thread
kprevious message in thread
ldrill in
Escclose help / fold thread tree
?toggle this help