[PATCH] x86/rust: use `-Zindirect-branch-cs-prefix` for RETPOLINE builds
From: Miguel Ojeda
Date: Sun Oct 18 2026 - 13:55:34 EST
The C compiler is asked to add a `cs` prefix to the `call` and `jmp`
instructions that go through the indirect thunks for the `r8`-`r15`
registers, which makes them 6 bytes long instead of 5. That gives
`patch_retpoline()` enough room to inline them, e.g. as `lfence; call
*%r11` for `spectre_v2=retpoline,lfence`.
However, Rust code does not get the prefix, e.g. for a
`CONFIG_MITIGATION_RETPOLINE=y` build:
$ objdump -dr rust/kernel.o
...
e2b: e8 00 00 00 00 call e30 <...>
e2c: R_X86_64_PLT32 __x86_indirect_thunk_r11-0x4
Moreover, since commit 4a1e02b15ac1 ("x86,retpoline: Optimize
patch_retpoline()"), `emit_indirect()` assumes there is enough room
for the inlined sequence -- e.g. with `spectre_v2=retpoline,lfence`,
the kernel warns and dies while patching a site inside `core`:
WARNING: arch/x86/kernel/alternative.c:736 at apply_retpolines+0x2ee/0x400, CPU#0: swapper/0/0
...
Call Trace:
<TASK>
? _RNvMs6_NtNtCshS2CUL9MEDn_4core3fmt8buildersNtB5_9DebugList21finish_non_exhaustive+0x5b/0xd0
...
alternative_instructions+0x1d/0x60
arch_cpu_finalize_init+0x5a/0xb0
start_kernel+0x1f4/0x280
Similarly, paranoid FineIBT rewrites each kCFI call site into a fixed
20-byte sequence, i.e. the 14 bytes of the kCFI check plus a 6-byte
call. For a 5-byte call, that overwrites the first byte of the next
instruction, corrupting Rust code:
SMP alternatives: Using paranoid FineIBT CFI
...
Oops: double fault: 0000 [#1]
...
RIP: 0010:_RNvNtCsdVypMZsLRAh_4core3fmt5write+0x1e9/0x210
Code: ... b8 68 81 16 9f 41 3b 43 f5 2e 4d 8d 5b f0 75 fd 41 ff e3 <cc> c0 eb 02 b0 01 ...
...
Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt
Non-paranoid FineIBT is not affected, since it only rewrites the kCFI
check and leaves the call itself to `apply_retpolines()`.
We added support for `-Zindirect-branch-cs-prefix` [1][2] in Rust 1.91.0
[3]. Thus pass it for `RETPOLINE` builds when possible, which makes all
sites indeed get the prefix:
e3c: 2e e8 00 00 00 00 cs call e42 <...>
e3e: R_X86_64_PLT32 __x86_indirect_thunk_r11-0x4
The kernel above boots fine with `spectre_v2=retpoline,lfence`, inlining
the Rust sites as well.
For older Rust compilers, set the LLVM module flag instead, which
has the same code-generation effect. This means that every Rust version
that the kernel supports gets the prefix, that the kernel boots fine with
`spectre_v2=retpoline,lfence`, and that paranoid FineIBT no longer
corrupts.
In addition, add it to our target modifier workaround for `rustdoc`.
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # 6.18.y+
Link: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/116852 [1]
Link: https://github.com/rust-lang/compiler-team/issues/899 [2]
Link: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/140740 [3]
Reported-by: Kent Overstreet <kent.overstreet@xxxxxxxxx>
Assisted-by: LLM
Signed-off-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/x86/Makefile | 1 +
rust/Makefile | 2 +-
2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/arch/x86/Makefile b/arch/x86/Makefile
index 8af6b80cffdd..01c848855f99 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Makefile
+++ b/arch/x86/Makefile
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ RETPOLINE_CFLAGS := -mretpoline-external-thunk
RETPOLINE_VDSO_CFLAGS := -mretpoline
endif
RETPOLINE_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-mindirect-branch-cs-prefix)
+RETPOLINE_RUSTFLAGS += $(if $(call rustc-min-version,109100),-Zindirect-branch-cs-prefix,-Zllvm_module_flag=indirect_branch_cs_prefix:u32:1:override)
ifdef CONFIG_MITIGATION_RETHUNK
RETHUNK_CFLAGS := -mfunction-return=thunk-extern
diff --git a/rust/Makefile b/rust/Makefile
index da1a7409d984..35868a47e18b 100644
--- a/rust/Makefile
+++ b/rust/Makefile
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ pin_init-flags := \
rustdoc_modifiers_workaround := $(if $(call rustc-min-version,108800),-Cunsafe-allow-abi-mismatch=fixed-x18)
# Similarly, for doctests (https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/146465).
-doctests_modifiers_workaround := $(rustdoc_modifiers_workaround)$(if $(call rustc-min-version,109100),$(comma)sanitizer)
+doctests_modifiers_workaround := $(rustdoc_modifiers_workaround)$(if $(call rustc-min-version,109100),$(comma)sanitizer$(comma)indirect-branch-cs-prefix)
quiet_cmd_rustdoc = RUSTDOC $(if $(rustdoc_host),H, ) $<
cmd_rustdoc = \
base-commit: 24a19b953e2a3d0ea5a8c4951a0ab8f32720c907
--
2.56.0