Re: Hyper-Threading Vulnerability

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

 



Gabor MICSKO <[email protected]> writes:

> Hi!
>
> From http://kerneltrap.org/node/5103
>
> ``Hyper-Threading, as currently implemented on Intel Pentium Extreme
> Edition, Pentium 4, Mobile Pentium 4, and Xeon processors, suffers from
> a serious security flaw," Colin explains. "This flaw permits local
> information disclosure, including allowing an unprivileged user to steal
> an RSA private key being used on the same machine. Administrators of
> multi-user systems are strongly advised to take action to disable
> Hyper-Threading immediately."
>
> ``More'' info here:
> http://www.daemonology.net/hyperthreading-considered-harmful/
>
> Is this flaw affects the current stable Linux kernels? Workaround?
> Patch?

This is not a kernel problem, but a user space problem. The fix 
is to change the user space crypto code to need the same number of cache line
accesses on all keys. 

Disabling HT for this would the totally wrong approach, like throwing
out the baby with the bath water.

-Andi
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to [email protected]
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/

[Index of Archives]     [Kernel Newbies]     [Netfilter]     [Bugtraq]     [Photo]     [Stuff]     [Gimp]     [Yosemite News]     [MIPS Linux]     [ARM Linux]     [Linux Security]     [Linux RAID]     [Video 4 Linux]     [Linux for the blind]     [Linux Resources]
  Powered by Linux