[Xen-announce] Xen Security Advisory 42 (CVE-2013-0228) - Linux kernel hits general protection if %ds is corrupt for 32-bit PVOPS.

[Xen.org security team <security@xxxxxxx>]

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             Xen Security Advisory CVE-2013-0228 / XSA-42
                            version 2

 Linux kernel hits general protection if %ds is corrupt for 32-bit PVOPS.


UPDATES IN VERSION 2
====================

Public release.

ISSUE DESCRIPTION
=================

Linux kernel when returning from an iret assumes that %ds segment is safe
and uses it to reference various per-cpu related fields. Unfortunately
the user can modify the LDT and provide a NULL one. Whenever an iret is called
we end up in xen_iret and try to use the %ds segment and cause an
general protection fault.

IMPACT
======

Malicious or buggy unprivileged user space can cause the guest kernel to
crash, or permit a privilege escalation within the guest, or operate
erroneously.

VULNERABLE SYSTEMS
==================

All 32bit PVOPS versions of Linux are affected, since the introduction
of Xen PVOPS support in 2.6.23.  Classic-Xen kernels are not vulnerable.

MITIGATION
==========

This can be mitigated by not running 32bit PVOPS Linux guests.

32bit classic-Xen guests, all 64bit PV guests and all HVM guests are
unaffected.


RESOLUTION
==========

Applying the appropriate attached patch resolves this issue.


$ sha256sum xsa42*.patch
a931fdc161653fb1a3a6d8c1cf6d2c9954c5aec134b610be6e9699552a659eb8  
xsa42-pvops-0001-x86-xen-don-t-assume-ds-is-usable-in-xen_iret-for-32.patch
$
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Attachment: xsa42-pvops-0001-x86-xen-don-t-assume-ds-is-usable-in-xen_iret-for-32.patch
Description: Binary data

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