Re: Intel CPU design flaw - FreeBSD affected?

From: Chris H <bsd-lists_at_BSDforge.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2018 07:00:02 -0800
On Thu, 4 Jan 2018 15:33:46 +0100 "Stefan Esser" <se_at_freebsd.org> said

> Am 04.01.18 um 12:56 schrieb Darren Reed:
> > On 4/01/2018 11:51 AM, Mark Heily wrote:
> >> On Jan 2, 2018 19:05, "Warner Losh" <imp_at_bsdimp.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> The register article says the specifics are under embargo still. That would
> >> make it hard for anybody working with Intel to comment publicly on the flaw
> >> and any mitigations that may be underway. It would be unwise to assume that
> >> all the details are out until the embargo lifts.
> >>
> >>
> >> Details of the flaws are now published at:
> >>
> >> https://meltdownattack.com
> > 
> > The web page has both: meltdown and spectre.
> > Most people are only talking about meltdown which doesn't hit AMD.
> > spectre impacts *both* Intel and AMD.
> > 
> > SuSE are making available a microcode patch for AMD 17h processors that
> > disables branch prediction:
> > 
> > https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2018-01/msg00004.html
> 
> Disabling branch prediction will have a very noticeable effect on execution
> speed in general (while split page tables only affect programs that perform
> system calls at a high frequency).
OUCH! That was the whole point of these; drop cores, and frequency, for huge
cache lines, and branch prediction. You eliminate that branch prediction, and
these become near useless. :-(
Glad I waited, before getting one!

> 
> I have not fully read the Meltdown and Spectre papers, yet, but I do assume,
> that the attack at the branch prediction tries to counter KASLR, which we do
> not support at all in FreeBSD.
> 
> So, I guess, we do not have to bother with disabling of branch prediction in
> FreeBSD for the time being?
> 
> Regards, STefan
--Chris
Received on Thu Jan 04 2018 - 13:59:56 UTC

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