In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

x86/xen: Drop USERGS_SYSRET64 paravirt call

commit afd30525a659ac0ae0904f0cb4a2ca75522c3123 upstream.

USERGS_SYSRET64 is used to return from a syscall via SYSRET, but
a Xen PV guest will nevertheless use the IRET hypercall, as there
is no sysret PV hypercall defined.

So instead of testing all the prerequisites for doing a sysret and
then mangling the stack for Xen PV again for doing an iret just use
the iret exit from the beginning.

This can easily be done via an ALTERNATIVE like it is done for the
sysenter compat case already.

It should be noted that this drops the optimization in Xen for not
restoring a few registers when returning to user mode, but it seems
as if the saved instructions in the kernel more than compensate for
this drop (a kernel build in a Xen PV guest was slightly faster with
this patch applied).

While at it remove the stale sysret32 remnants.

[ pawan: Brad Spengler and Salvatore Bonaccorso <carnil@debian.org>
reported a problem with the 5.10 backport commit edc702b4a820
("x86/entry_64: Add VERW just before userspace transition").

When CONFIG_PARAVIRT_XXL=y, CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS is not executed in
syscall_return_via_sysret path as USERGS_SYSRET64 is runtime
patched to:

.cpu_usergs_sysret64 = { 0x0f, 0x01, 0xf8,
0x48, 0x0f, 0x07 }, // swapgs; sysretq

which is missing CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS. It turns out dropping
USERGS_SYSRET64 simplifies the code, allowing CLEAR_CPU_BUFFERS
to be explicitly added to syscall_return_via_sysret path. Below
is with CONFIG_PARAVIRT_XXL=y and this patch applied:

syscall_return_via_sysret:
...
<+342>: swapgs
<+345>: xchg %ax,%ax
<+347>: verw -0x1a2(%rip) <------
<+354>: sysretq
]
Fixes

Solution

No solution given by the vendor.


Workaround

No workaround given by the vendor.

History

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2025-05-04T06:59:54.176Z

Reserved: 2024-06-25T14:16:59.867Z

Link: CVE-2021-4440

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2024-08-03T17:30:07.494Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2024-06-25T15:15:11.137

Modified: 2025-03-24T17:28:48.277

Link: CVE-2021-4440

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Low

Publid Date: 2024-06-25T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2021-4440 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.