Amazon Linux 2023: CVE-2025-37964: Important priority package update for kernel (Multiple Advisories)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
x86/mm: Eliminate window where TLB flushes may be inadvertently skipped
tl;dr: There is a window in the mm switching code where the new CR3 is
set and the CPU should be getting TLB flushes for the new mm. But
should_flush_tlb() has a bug and suppresses the flush. Fix it by
widening the window where should_flush_tlb() sends an IPI.
Long Version:
=== History ===
There were a few things leading up to this.
First, updating mm_cpumask() was observed to be too expensive, so it was
made lazier. But being lazy caused too many unnecessary IPIs to CPUs
due to the now-lazy mm_cpumask(). So code was added to cull
mm_cpumask() periodically[2]. But that culling was a bit too aggressive
and skipped sending TLB flushes to CPUs that need them. So here we are
again.
=== Problem ===
The too-aggressive code in should_flush_tlb() strikes in this window:
// Turn on IPIs for this CPU/mm combination, but only
// if should_flush_tlb() agrees:
cpumask_set_cpu(cpu, mm_cpumask(next));
next_tlb_gen = atomic64_read(&next->context.tlb_gen);
choose_new_asid(next, next_tlb_gen, &new_asid, &need_flush);
load_new_mm_cr3(need_flush);
// ^ After 'need_flush' is set to false, IPIs *MUST*
// be sent to this CPU and not be ignored.
this_cpu_write(cpu_tlbstate.loaded_mm, next);
// ^ Not until this point does should_flush_tlb()
// become true!
should_flush_tlb() will suppress TLB flushes between load_new_mm_cr3()
and writing to 'loaded_mm', which is a window where they should not be
suppressed. Whoops.
=== Solution ===
Thankfully, the fuzzy "just about to write CR3" window is already marked
with loaded_mm==LOADED_MM_SWITCHING. Simply checking for that state in
should_flush_tlb() is sufficient to ensure that the CPU is targeted with
an IPI.
This will cause more TLB flush IPIs. But the window is relatively small
and I do not expect this to cause any kind of measurable performance
impact.
Update the comment where LOADED_MM_SWITCHING is written since it grew
yet another user.
Peter Z also raised a concern that should_flush_tlb() might not observe
'loaded_mm' and 'is_lazy' in the same order that switch_mm_irqs_off()
writes them. Add a barrier to ensure that they are observed in the
order they are written.