[PATCH v4] ARM: breakpoint: CFI breakpoints only on demand
From: Linus Walleij <linusw@kernel.org>
Date: 2026-07-03 12:25:36
Also in:
linux-perf-users, lkml, stable
Subsystem:
arm pmu profiling and debugging, arm port, the rest · Maintainers:
Will Deacon, Mark Rutland, Russell King, Linus Torvalds
This removes the stub hw_breakpoint_cfi_handler() from ARM, making
it not steal breakpoint type 0x03 (ARM_ENTRY_CFI_BREAKPOINT) unless
CFI is actively used in the kernel.
When not instrumenting with CFI, or when a breakpoint is issued in
userspace, we fall through to return 1 from hw_breakpoint_pending()
"unhandled fault" so userspace can make use of this breakpoint.
Tested with LKDTM and this command line:
echo CFI_FORWARD_PROTO > /sys/kernel/debug/provoke-crash/DIRECT
still works as expected.
Fixes: c3f89986fde7 ("ARM: 9391/2: hw_breakpoint: Handle CFI breakpoints")
Reported-by: slipher <redacted>
Suggested-by: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/kJqktbpLphg_Pk5I5SPptgTLjl3E3eq5mN5UzCslyFj7Q1Irp-wDid4mj5eQVd2iZtRGXgeZd8goq195EkXdjyt864YMc8mVb2B9NGH91NQ=@protonmail.com/ (local)
Signed-off-by: Linus Walleij <linusw@kernel.org>
---
Trying to solve the CFI bug. Let's see of this first
approach is acceptable for the reporter.
---
Changes in v4:
- Dodge the BKPT if we are coming from userspace!
- Would be great if the reporter can test this with and without
CONFIG_CFI.
- Link to v3: https://patch.msgid.link/20260701-arm32-cfi-bug-v3-1-e3c37e2b80a4@kernel.org
Changes in v3:
- Actually strip the RFC prefix...
- Link to v2: https://patch.msgid.link/20260701-arm32-cfi-bug-v2-1-9bf922593e00@kernel.org
Changes in v2:
- Resending as non-RFC so it can be applied as a band-aid.
- Link to v1: https://patch.msgid.link/20260626-arm32-cfi-bug-v1-1-a467b5050c0b@kernel.org
To: Will Deacon <will@kernel.org>
To: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>
To: Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>
To: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
To: Sami Tolvanen <samitolvanen@google.com>
To: "Russell King (Oracle)" <redacted>
To: Linus Walleij <linusw@kernel.org>
Cc: linux-arm-kernel@lists.infradead.org
Cc: linux-perf-users@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
---
arch/arm/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c | 11 ++++++-----
1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c b/arch/arm/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c
index cd4b34c96e35..38feb30dfb5f 100644
--- a/arch/arm/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c
+++ b/arch/arm/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c@@ -929,10 +929,6 @@ static void hw_breakpoint_cfi_handler(struct pt_regs *regs) break; } } -#else -static void hw_breakpoint_cfi_handler(struct pt_regs *regs) -{ -} #endif /*
@@ -964,9 +960,14 @@ static int hw_breakpoint_pending(unsigned long addr, unsigned int fsr, case ARM_ENTRY_SYNC_WATCHPOINT: watchpoint_handler(addr, fsr, regs); break; +#ifdef CONFIG_CFI case ARM_ENTRY_CFI_BREAKPOINT: - hw_breakpoint_cfi_handler(regs); + if (user_mode(regs)) + ret = 1; /* Don't handle userspace BKPT */ + else + hw_breakpoint_cfi_handler(regs); break; +#endif default: ret = 1; /* Unhandled fault. */ }
--- base-commit: 8cd9520d35a6c38db6567e97dd93b1f11f185dc6 change-id: 20260626-arm32-cfi-bug-10fb960749c4 Best regards, -- Linus Walleij [off-list ref]