Linux 6.5-rc6 Released With Latest CPU Security Mitigations & Bug Fixes
Linux 6.5-rc6 incorporates the mitigations for Intel Downfall and AMD Inception vulnerabilities, which were also already back-ported to stable kernel versions. This week's Linux Git activity also includes an AMD Zen 1 division-by-zero fix to avoid leaking data as well as AMD Zenbleed coverage for Valve's Steam Deck APU. It was a busy week on the security front to say the least.
There were also a wide variety of other regression and bug fixes to be picked up this week. There is also the change to disable RNG on AMD fTPMs due to those ongoing bug battles.
Linus Torvalds commented in the 6.5-rc6 announcement:
"So apart from the regularly scheduled hardware mitigation patches, everything looks fairly normal. And I guess the hw mitigation is to be considered normal too, apart from the inevitable fixup patches it then causes because the embargo keeps us from testing it widely and keeps it from all our public automation. Sigh.
We have a fair number of other random fixes in here too, but nothing that stands out to me. I guess the one-liner that just disables irq use for the usual PC TPM device might be more noticeable than most, in that it hopefully puts that whole sad saga behind us. But even that is not going to be noticeable in any other way than "we no longer have to fight the endless reports of irq storms on some laptops". Knock wood."
In between everything else this weekend Linus Torvalds also found the time to finally review the Bcachefs code.
See the Linux 6.5 feature list for a look at the many exciting changes and improvements with this kernel that will debut as stable around the end of August.
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