Re: git: 706f4a81a812 - main - exec: Introduce the PROC_PS_STRINGS() macro

From: John Baldwin <jhb_at_FreeBSD.org>
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2022 22:18:03 UTC
On 1/18/22 11:58 AM, Mark Johnston wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 07:31:47AM -0800, John Baldwin wrote:
>> On 1/17/22 1:13 PM, Mark Johnston wrote:
>>> The branch main has been updated by markj:
>>>
>>> URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=706f4a81a81250a326ea25914e7effe1768f1a37
>>>
>>> commit 706f4a81a81250a326ea25914e7effe1768f1a37
>>> Author:     Mark Johnston <markj@FreeBSD.org>
>>> AuthorDate: 2022-01-17 16:42:28 +0000
>>> Commit:     Mark Johnston <markj@FreeBSD.org>
>>> CommitDate: 2022-01-17 21:11:54 +0000
>>>
>>>       exec: Introduce the PROC_PS_STRINGS() macro
>>>       
>>>       Rather than fetching the ps_strings address directly from a process'
>>>       sysentvec, use this macro.  With stack address randomization the
>>>       ps_strings address is no longer fixed.
>>>       
>>>       Reviewed by:    kib
>>>       MFC after:      2 weeks
>>>       Sponsored by:   The FreeBSD Foundation
>>>       Differential Revision:  https://reviews.freebsd.org/D33704
>>
>> FWIW, in CheriBSD we have a 'p_psstrings' member in struct proc that is a pointer
>> to the ps_strings structure in user space that is set by the ABI during exec.
> 
> I did the exact same thing in an earlier version of the patch.  It ended
> up being more useful to keep the stacktop address, and to derive the
> ps_strings address from that.  I would like to MFC this as well, and
> that'll be easier without having modified the layout of struct proc.

Ok.

>> CHERI removes the need for ASLR, but due to alignment requirements of capabilities
>> the stack is not a fixed location as its address can vary based on the size.
> 
> Is it possible to use PROC_PS_STRINGS() there?

Well, the other trick is that I think a more recent change from Brooks is that we
have completely divorced the strings area (argv, envp, auxv, ps_strings, etc.) from
the stack, so we will still need the separate pointer in CheriBSD.

-- 
John Baldwin