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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 18:49:45 +0000
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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=====================
+AMD Memory Encryption
+=====================
+
+Secure Memory Encryption (SME) and Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) are
+features found on AMD processors.
+
+SME provides the ability to mark individual pages of memory as encrypted using
+the standard x86 page tables. A page that is marked encrypted will be
+automatically decrypted when read from DRAM and encrypted when written to
+DRAM. SME can therefore be used to protect the contents of DRAM from physical
+attacks on the system.
+
+SEV enables running encrypted virtual machines (VMs) in which the code and data
+of the guest VM are secured so that a decrypted version is available only
+within the VM itself. SEV guest VMs have the concept of private and shared
+memory. Private memory is encrypted with the guest-specific key, while shared
+memory may be encrypted with hypervisor key. When SME is enabled, the hypervisor
+key is the same key which is used in SME.
+
+A page is encrypted when a page table entry has the encryption bit set (see
+below on how to determine its position). The encryption bit can also be
+specified in the cr3 register, allowing the PGD table to be encrypted. Each
+successive level of page tables can also be encrypted by setting the encryption
+bit in the page table entry that points to the next table. This allows the full
+page table hierarchy to be encrypted. Note, this means that just because the
+encryption bit is set in cr3, doesn't imply the full hierarchy is encrypted.
+Each page table entry in the hierarchy needs to have the encryption bit set to
+achieve that. So, theoretically, you could have the encryption bit set in cr3
+so that the PGD is encrypted, but not set the encryption bit in the PGD entry
+for a PUD which results in the PUD pointed to by that entry to not be
+encrypted.
+
+When SEV is enabled, instruction pages and guest page tables are always treated
+as private. All the DMA operations inside the guest must be performed on shared
+memory. Since the memory encryption bit is controlled by the guest OS when it
+is operating in 64-bit or 32-bit PAE mode, in all other modes the SEV hardware
+forces the memory encryption bit to 1.
+
+Support for SME and SEV can be determined through the CPUID instruction. The
+CPUID function 0x8000001f reports information related to SME::
+
+ 0x8000001f[eax]:
+ Bit[0] indicates support for SME
+ Bit[1] indicates support for SEV
+ 0x8000001f[ebx]:
+ Bits[5:0] pagetable bit number used to activate memory
+ encryption
+ Bits[11:6] reduction in physical address space, in bits, when
+ memory encryption is enabled (this only affects
+ system physical addresses, not guest physical
+ addresses)
+
+If support for SME is present, MSR 0xc00100010 (MSR_AMD64_SYSCFG) can be used to
+determine if SME is enabled and/or to enable memory encryption::
+
+ 0xc0010010:
+ Bit[23] 0 = memory encryption features are disabled
+ 1 = memory encryption features are enabled
+
+If SEV is supported, MSR 0xc0010131 (MSR_AMD64_SEV) can be used to determine if
+SEV is active::
+
+ 0xc0010131:
+ Bit[0] 0 = memory encryption is not active
+ 1 = memory encryption is active
+
+Linux relies on BIOS to set this bit if BIOS has determined that the reduction
+in the physical address space as a result of enabling memory encryption (see
+CPUID information above) will not conflict with the address space resource
+requirements for the system. If this bit is not set upon Linux startup then
+Linux itself will not set it and memory encryption will not be possible.
+
+The state of SME in the Linux kernel can be documented as follows:
+
+ - Supported:
+ The CPU supports SME (determined through CPUID instruction).
+
+ - Enabled:
+ Supported and bit 23 of MSR_AMD64_SYSCFG is set.
+
+ - Active:
+ Supported, Enabled and the Linux kernel is actively applying
+ the encryption bit to page table entries (the SME mask in the
+ kernel is non-zero).
+
+SME can also be enabled and activated in the BIOS. If SME is enabled and
+activated in the BIOS, then all memory accesses will be encrypted and it will
+not be necessary to activate the Linux memory encryption support. If the BIOS
+merely enables SME (sets bit 23 of the MSR_AMD64_SYSCFG), then Linux can activate
+memory encryption by default (CONFIG_AMD_MEM_ENCRYPT_ACTIVE_BY_DEFAULT=y) or
+by supplying mem_encrypt=on on the kernel command line. However, if BIOS does
+not enable SME, then Linux will not be able to activate memory encryption, even
+if configured to do so by default or the mem_encrypt=on command line parameter
+is specified.
+
+Secure Nested Paging (SNP)
+==========================
+
+SEV-SNP introduces new features (SEV_FEATURES[1:63]) which can be enabled
+by the hypervisor for security enhancements. Some of these features need
+guest side implementation to function correctly. The below table lists the
+expected guest behavior with various possible scenarios of guest/hypervisor
+SNP feature support.
+
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| Feature Enabled | Guest needs | Guest has | Guest boot |
+| by the HV | implementation| implementation| behaviour |
++=================+===============+===============+==================+
+| No | No | No | Boot |
+| | | | |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| No | Yes | No | Boot |
+| | | | |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| No | Yes | Yes | Boot |
+| | | | |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| Yes | No | No | Boot with |
+| | | | feature enabled |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| Yes | Yes | No | Graceful boot |
+| | | | failure |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+| Yes | Yes | Yes | Boot with |
+| | | | feature enabled |
++-----------------+---------------+---------------+------------------+
+
+More details in AMD64 APM[1] Vol 2: 15.34.10 SEV_STATUS MSR
+
+[1] https://www.amd.com/system/files/TechDocs/40332.pdf