Meltdown Protection For x86 32-bit Aligned For The Linux 4.19 Kernel

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Meltdown Protection For x86 32-bit Aligned For The Linux 4.19 Kernel

Those still relying upon x86 32-bit Linux kernels for aging hardware and continuing to update to the latest software will find mitigation for the Meltdown CPU vulnerability with the upcoming Linux 4.19 kernel cycle. You'll find this mitigation but at the cost of performance...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-4.19-PTI-x86-32-Lands

[zboszor]

Please, add a Geode LX into the mix. It should not be vulnerable and I am interested whether the performance hit affects POS machines.

[Michael]

Please, add a Geode LX into the mix. It should not be vulnerable and I am interested whether the performance hit affects POS machines.

I've never had a Genode LX system.

[starshipeleven]

Please, add a Geode LX into the mix. It should not be vulnerable and I am interested whether the performance hit affects POS machines.

1. what makes you think POS machines ever see software updates
2. what makes you think POS machines even need software updates.

It's not like they run a whole lot of external software on a regular basis, nor they run connected to the internet.

[mzs.112000]

I still have 2 Pentium 4 2.4GHz machines...
Of course, it's probably not a fair test, because they only have 512MB of RAM....

[nuetzel]

I've never had a Genode LX system.

I've a Genode NX (special Athlon version).
Maybe I have some time for testing or offer it.

[nuetzel]

@Michael:
Why can you only think about 32-bit Intel CPUs?
One of my small servers is a VIA CentaurHauls mostly ideling for network stuff (dual SUN (!!!) PCIe Intel 1 GBs NIC).

Architektur: i686
CPU op-mode(s): 32-bit
Byte-Reihenfolge: Little Endian
CPU(s): 1
On-line CPU(s) list: 0
Thread(s) pro Kern: 1
Kern(e) pro Socket: 1
Socket(s): 1
NUMA-Knoten: 1
Anbieterkennung: CentaurHauls
Prozessorfamilie: 6
Modell: 13
Modellname: VIA C7-D Processor 1800MHz
Stepping: 0
CPU MHz: 1800.000
Maximale Taktfrequenz der CPU:1800,0000
Minimale Taktfrequenz der CPU:800,0000
BogoMIPS: 3591.14
NUMA-Knoten0 CPU(s): 0

XXX /root# cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/
meltdown spec_store_bypass spectre_v1 spectre_v2
XXX /root# cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/*
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
Mitigation: __user pointer sanitization
Mitigation: Full generic retpoline

Linux 4.17.8-1.g38e4cdc-pae (geeko@buildhost) (gcc 8.1.1 20180614) #1 1CPU [XXX.(none)]

Memory: Total Used Free Shared Buffers Cached
Mem: 3606376 834536 2771840 0 173052 552584
Swap: 0 0 0

Bootup: Fri Jul 20 01:31:31 2018 Load average: 0.00 0.01 0.00 1/137 10073

user : 0:10:04.26 0.4% page in : 562013 disk 1: 15510r 311910w
nice : 0:00:31.27 0.1% page out: 1358106 disk 2: 2283r 311912w
system: 0:20:15.36 0.8% page act: 28482
IOwait: 0:00:15.94 0.1% page dea: 0
hw irq: 0:00:00.00 0.1% page flt: 1956197
sw irq: 0:14:06.24 0.6% swap in : 0
idle : 1d 21:35:50.95 97.5% swap out: 0
uptime: 1d 22:47:28.26 context : 34267616

irq 0: 41 2-edge timer irq 21: 815807 21-fasteoi pata_via
irq 1: 4 1-edge i8042 irq 22: 0 22-fasteoi uhci_hcd
irq 7: 0 7-edge parport0 irq 23: 0 23-fasteoi ehci_hcd
irq 8: 1 8-edge rtc0 irq 25: 0 49152-edge aerdr
irq 9: 0 9-fasteoi acpi irq 27: 0 53248-edge aerdr
irq 12: 6 12-edge i8042 irq 30: 20543339 1048576-edge eth
irq 16: 18678939 16-fasteoi ath9k irq 32: 16956401 1050624-edge eth
irq 20: 0 20-fasteoi uhci_hcd

[zboszor]

1. what makes you think POS machines ever see software updates
2. what makes you think POS machines even need software updates.

It's not like they run a whole lot of external software on a regular basis, nor they run connected to the internet.

Because I am working on such a system. The OS is upgradable, my company is the vendor of the POS software and we do upgrades.
Tax laws change year by year and that affects POS internal operation. We also like to plug in vulnerabilities and fix bugs that affect us.

FYI, the payment systems in the US does go over the Internet. Go figure.
In Europe, the card reader pinpads usually have a direct cellphone connection to the bank system.

[starshipeleven]

Because I am working on such a system. The OS is upgradable, my company is the vendor of the POS software and we do upgrades.
Tax laws change year by year and that affects POS internal operation. We also like to plug in vulnerabilities and fix bugs that affect us.

One last question: what OS are you using? Windows Embedded (or whatever it is called now) some custom Linux, Android, BSD derivatives or some proprietary OS?

FYI, the payment systems in the US does go over the Internet. Go figure.
In Europe, the card reader pinpads usually have a direct cellphone connection to the bank system.

All POS here in my country (in EU) are in a VPN to their bank, not accessible directly from the Internet, although of course they are technically connected.

Also the card reader pinpads, they don't have a "direct cellphone connection", they have a SIM of some mobile network operator and use the internet connection to establish a VPN to the bank's internal network.

Which is why I think updates aren't a major priority.

[zboszor]

One last question: what OS are you using? Windows Embedded (or whatever it is called now) some custom Linux, Android, BSD derivatives or some proprietary OS?

A custom Linux OS.