VMware response to ‘L1 Terminal Fault - VMM’ (L1TF - VMM) Speculative-Execution vulnerability in Intel processors for vSphere: CVE-2018-3646
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VMware response to ‘L1 Terminal Fault - VMM’ (L1TF - VMM) Speculative-Execution vulnerability in Intel processors for vSphere: CVE-2018-3646

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Article ID: 317621

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
This article documents the Hypervisor-Specific Mitigations required to address CVE-2018-3646 (L1 Terminal Fault - VMM) in vSphere.



Introduction to CVE-2018-3646

Intel has disclosed details on a new class of CPU speculative-execution vulnerabilities known collectively as “L1 Terminal Fault” that can occur on past and current Intel processors (from at least 2009 – 2018) [See Table 1 for supported vSphere processors that are affected].

Like Meltdown, Rogue System Register Read, and "Lazy FP state restore", the “L1 Terminal Fault” vulnerability can occur when affected Intel microprocessors speculate beyond an unpermitted data access. By continuing the speculation in these cases, the affected Intel microprocessors expose a new side-channel for attack. (Note, however, that architectural correctness is still provided as the speculative operations will be later nullified at instruction retirement.) 

CVE-2018-3646 is one of these Intel microprocessor vulnerabilities and impacts hypervisors. It may allow a malicious VM running on a given CPU core to effectively infer contents of the hypervisor's or another VM's privileged information residing at the same time in the same core's L1 Data cache. Because current Intel processors share the physically-addressed L1 Data Cache across both logical processors of a Hyperthreading (HT) enabled core, indiscriminate simultaneous scheduling of software threads on both logical processors creates the potential for further information leakage. CVE-2018-3646 has two currently known attack vectors which will be referred to here as "Sequential-Context" and "Concurrent-Context.” Both attack vectors must be addressed to mitigate CVE-2018-3646.

Attack Vector Summary 

  • Sequential-context attack vector: a malicious VM can potentially infer recently accessed L1 data of a previous context (hypervisor thread or other VM thread) on either logical processor of a processor core. 
  • Concurrent-context attack vector: a malicious VM can potentially infer recently accessed L1 data of a concurrently executing context (hypervisor thread or other VM thread) on the other logical processor of the hyperthreading-enabled processor core. 

Mitigation Summary 

  • Mitigation of the Sequential-Context attack vector is achieved by vSphere updates and patches. This mitigation is enabled by default and does not impose a significant performance impact. Please see the resolution section for details. 
  • Mitigation of the Concurrent-context attack vector requires enablement of a new feature known as the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler. The initial version of this feature will only schedule the hypervisor and VMs on one logical processor of an Intel Hyperthreading-enabled core. This feature may impose a non-trivial performance impact and is not enabled by default. Please see resolution section for details. 

Important: Disabling Intel Hyperthreading in firmware/BIOS (or by using VMkernel.Boot.Hyperthreading) after applying vSphere updates and patches is not recommended and precludes potential vSphere scheduler enhancements and mitigations that will allow the use of both logical processors. Mitigation should be done by enabling the ESXi Side Channel Aware Scheduler (see below).

Unlike explicit disabling of Intel Hyperthreading in firmware/BIOS (or by using VMKernel.Boot.Hyperthreading), the side channel aware scheduler enablement will be ignored on AMD processors and newer Intel processors that are not vulnerable to L1TF-VMM. [See Table 1 for supported vSphere processors that are affected].

Resolution

The mitigation process for CVE-2018-3646 is divided into three phases:

 

  1. Update Phase: Apply vSphere Updates and Patches
The Sequential-context attack vector is mitigated by a vSphere update to the product versions listed in VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2018-0020. This mitigation is dependent on Intel microcode updates (provided in separate ESXi patches for most Intel hardware platforms) which are also documented in VMSA-2018-0020. This mitigation is enabled by default and does not impose a significant performance impact.

Note: As displayed in the workflow above, vCenter Server should be updated prior to applying ESXi patches. Notification messages were added in the aforementioned updates and patches to explain that the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler must be enabled to mitigate the Concurrent-context attack vector of CVE-2018-3646. If ESXi is updated prior to vCenter you may receive cryptic notification messages relating to this. After vCenter has been updated, the notifications will be shown correctly.
  1. Planning Phase: Assess Your Environment
The Concurrent-context attack vector is mitigated through enablement of the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler which is included in the updates and patches listed in VMSA-2018-0020. This scheduler is not enabled by default. Enablement of this scheduler may impose a non-trivial performance impact on applications running in a vSphere environment. The goal of the Planning Phase is to understand if your current environment has sufficient CPU capacity to enable the scheduler without operational impact.

The following list summarizes potential problem areas after enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler:
  • VMs configured with vCPUs greater than the physical cores available on the ESXi host
  • VMs configured with custom affinity or NUMA settings
  • VMs with latency-sensitive configuration
  • ESXi hosts with Average CPU Usage greater than 70%
  • Hosts with custom CPU resource management options enabled
  • HA Clusters where a rolling upgrade will increase Average CPU Usage above 100%
Important: The above list is meant to be a brief overview of potential problem areas related to enablement of the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler. 

Note: It may be necessary to acquire additional hardware, or rebalance existing workloads, before enablement of the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler. Organizations can choose not to enable the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler after performing a risk assessment and accepting the risk posed by the Concurrent-context attack vector. This is NOT RECOMMENDED and VMware cannot make this decision on behalf of an organization.
  1. Scheduler-Enablement Phase:
    1. Enable the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler in ESXi 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 6.7 (prior to 6.7u2) and 7.0.
After addressing the potential problem areas described above during the Planning Phase, the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler must be enabled to mitigate the Concurrent-context attack vector of CVE-2018-3646. The scheduler can be enabled on an individual ESXi host via the advanced configuration option hyperthreadingMitigation. 
 
Notes:
  • Enabling this option will result in the vSphere UI reporting only a single logical processor per physical core; halving the number of logical processors if Hyperthreading was previously enabled. In addition Hyperthreading may be reported as 'Disabled' in various configuration tabs.
  • The current ESXi Side-Channel-Aware scheduler also addresses CVE-2018-5407.
Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler using the vSphere Web Client or vSphere Client
  1. Connect to the vCenter Server using either the vSphere Web or vSphere Client.
  2. Select an ESXi host in the inventory.
  3. Click the Manage (5.5/6.0) or Configure (6.5/6.7/7.0) tab.
  4. Click the Settings sub-tab.
  5. Under the System heading, click Advanced System Settings.
  6. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation
  7. Select the setting by name and click the Edit pencil icon.
  8. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  9. Click OK.
  10. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler using ESXi Embedded Host Client
  1. Connect to the ESXi host by opening a web browser to https://HOSTNAME.
  2. Click the Manage tab.
  3. Click the Advanced settings sub-tab.
  4. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation
  5. Select the setting by name and click the Edit pencil icon.
  6. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  7. Click Save.
  8. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enable ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler setting using ESXCLI
  1. SSH to an ESXi host or open a console where the remote ESXCLI is installed. For more information, see the ESXCLI Developer Portal.
  2. Check the current runtime value of the HTAware Mitigation Setting by running esxcli system settings kernel list -o hyperthreadingMitigation
  3. To enable HT Aware Mitigation, run this command:
esxcli system settings kernel set -s hyperthreadingMitigation -v TRUE
  1. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
  1. Enable the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler (SCAv1) or the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler v2 (SCAv2) in ESXi 6.7u2 (13006603) or later
Note: ESXi 6.7u2 (13006603) and future release lines of ESXi include the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler v2. Prior release lines such as 6.5, 6.0, and 5.5 cannot accommodate this new scheduler.
 

 

 

VMware has published a white paper entitled Performance of vSphere 6.7 Scheduling Options which provides a more detailed look into the performance differences between SCAv1 and SCAv2. Please review this document before continuing.

 

Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler (SCAv1) using the vSphere Web Client or vSphere Client
  1. Connect to the vCenter Server using either the vSphere Web or vSphere Client.
  2. Select an ESXi host in the inventory.
  3. Click the Configure tab.
  4. Under the System heading, click Advanced System Settings.
  5. Click Edit.
  6. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation.
  7. Select the setting by name.
  8. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  9. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM.
  10. Change the configuration option to true (default: true).
  11. Click OK.
  12. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler (SCAv1) using ESXi Embedded Host Client
  1. Connect to the ESXi host by opening a web browser to https://HOSTNAME.
  2. Click Manage under host navigator.
  3. Click the Advanced settings Tab.
  4. Use the search box to find VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation
  5. Select the VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation setting and click the Edit Option.
  6. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  7. Click Save.
  8. Use the search box to find VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM.
  9. Select the VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM setting and click the Edit Option.
  10. Change the configuration option to true (default: true).
  11. Click Save.
  12. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enable ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler (SCAv1) using ESXCLI
  1. SSH to an ESXi host or open a console where the remote ESXCLI is installed. For more information, see the ESXCLI Developer Portal..
  2. Check the current runtime values by running esxcli system settings kernel list -o hyperthreadingMitigation and esxcli system settings kernel list -o hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM.
  3. To enable the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler Version 1 run these commands:
  4. esxcli system settings kernel set -s hyperthreadingMitigation -v TRUE
  5. esxcli system settings kernel set -s hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM -v TRUE
  6. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler Version 2 (SCAv2) using the vSphere Web Client or vSphere Client
  1. Connect to the vCenter Server using either the vSphere Web or vSphere Client.
  2. Select an ESXi host in the inventory.
  3. Click the Configure tab.
  4. Under the System heading, click Advanced System Settings.
  5. Click Edit.
  6. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation.
  7. Select the setting by name.
  8. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  9. Click in the Filter box and search VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM.
  10. Change the configuration option to false (default: true).
  11. Click OK.
  12. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enabling the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler Version 2 (SCAv2) using ESXi Embedded Host Client
  1. Connect to the ESXi host by opening a web browser to https://HOSTNAME.
  2. Click Manage under host navigator.
  3. Click the Advanced settings Tab.
  4. Use the search box to find VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation.
  5. Select the VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigation setting and click the Edit Option.
  6. Change the configuration option to true (default: false).
  7. Click Save.
  8. Use the search box to find VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM.
  9. Select the VMkernel.Boot.hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM setting and click the Edit Option.
  10. Change the configuration option to false (default: true).
  11. Click Save.
  12. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
Enable ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler Version 2 (SCAv2) using ESXCLI
  1. SSH to an ESXi host or open a console where the remote ESXCLI is installed. For more information, see the ESXCLI Developer Portal..
  2. Check the current runtime values by running esxcli system settings kernel list -o hyperthreadingMitigation and esxcli system settings kernel list -o hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM
  3. To enable the ESXi Side-Channel-Aware Scheduler Version 1 run these commands:
  4. esxcli system settings kernel set -s hyperthreadingMitigation -v TRUE
  5. esxcli system settings kernel set -s hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM -v FALSE
  6. Reboot the ESXi host for the configuration change to go into effect.
ESXi 6.7u2 (and later) Scheduler Configuration Summary
hyperthreadingMitigation hyperthreadingMitigationIntraVM Scheduler Enabled
FALSE TRUE or FALSE Default scheduler (unmitigated)
TRUE TRUE SCAv1
TRUE FALSE SCAv2


HTAware Mitigation Tool

VMware has provided a tool to assist in performing both the Planning Phase and the Scheduler-Enablement Phase at scale. This tool has been updated to include SCAv2 support and can be found in HTAware Mitigation Tool Overview and Usage (328935) along with detailed instructions on its usage, capabilities, and limitations.

Table 1: Affected Intel Processors Supported by ESXi

Intel Code Name FMS Intel Brand Names
Nehalem-EP 0x106a5 Intel Xeon 35xx Series;
Intel Xeon 55xx Series
Lynnfield 0x106e5 Intel Xeon 34xx Lynnfield Series
Clarkdale 0x20652 Intel i3/i5 Clarkdale Series;
Intel Xeon 34xx Clarkdale Series
Arrandale 0x20655 Intel Core i7-620LE Processor
Sandy Bridge DT 0x206a7 Intel Xeon E3-1100 Series;
Intel Xeon E3-1200 Series;
Intel i7-2655-LE Series;  Intel i3-2100 Series
Westmere EP 0x206c2 Intel Xeon 56xx Series;
Intel Xeon 36xx Series
Sandy Bridge EP 0x206d7 Intel Pentium 1400 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1400 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1600 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2400 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2600 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-4600 Series
Nehalem EX 0x206e6 Intel Xeon 65xx Series;
Intel Xeon 75xx Series
Westmere EX 0x206f2 Intel Xeon E7-8800 Series;
Intel Xeon E7-4800 Series;
Intel Xeon E7-2800 Series
Ivy Bridge DT 0x306a9 Intel i3-3200 Series; Intel i7-3500-LE/UE, Intel i7-3600-QE,
Intel Xeon E3-1200-v2 Series;
Intel Xeon E3-1100-C-v2 Series;
Intel Pentium B925C
Haswell DT 0x306c3 Intel Xeon E3-1200-v3 Series
Ivy Bridge EP 0x306e4 Intel Xeon E5-4600-v2 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2400-v2 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2600-v2 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1400-v2 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2600-v2 Series
Ivy Bridge EX 0x306e7 Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800/2800-v2 Series
Haswell EP 0x306f2 Intel Xeon E5-2400-v3 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1400-v3 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1600-v3 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2600-v3 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-4600-v3 Series
Haswell EX 0x306f4 Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800-v3 Series
Broadwell H 0x40671 Intel Core i7-5700EQ;
Intel Xeon E3-1200-v4 Series
Avoton 0x406d8 Intel Atom C2300 Series;
Intel Atom C2500 Series;
Intel Atom C2700 Series
Broadwell EP/EX 0x406f1 Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800-v4 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-4600-v4 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-2600-v4 Series;
Intel Xeon E5-1600-v4 Series
Skylake SP 0x50654 Intel Xeon Platinum 8100 (Skylake-SP) Series;
Intel Xeon Gold 6100/5100 (Skylake-SP) Series
Intel Xeon Silver 4100, Bronze 3100 (Skylake-SP) Series
Broadwell DE 0x50662 Intel Xeon D-1500 Series
Broadwell DE 0x50663 Intel Xeon D-1500 Series
Broadwell DE 0x50664 Intel Xeon D-1500 Series
Broadwell NS 0x50665 Intel Xeon D-1500 Series
Skylake H/S 0x506e3 Intel Xeon E3-1500-v5 Series;
Intel Xeon E3-1200-v5 Series
Kaby Lake H/S/X 0x906e9 Intel Xeon E3-1200-v6



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