QSB-097: "Reptar" Intel redundant prefix vulnerability

[Andrew David Wong]

Dear Qubes Community,

We have published [Qubes Security Bulletin 097: "Reptar" Intel redundant prefix vulnerability](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack/blob/main/QSBs/qsb-097-2023.txt). The text of this QSB and its accompanying cryptographic signatures are reproduced below. For an explanation of this announcement and instructions for authenticating this QSB, please see the end of this announcement.

## Qubes Security Bulletin 097

```

---===[ Qubes Security Bulletin 097 ]===---

2023-11-14

"Reptar" Intel redundant prefix vulnerability
(CVE-2023-23583, INTEL-SA-00950)

User action
------------

Continue to update normally [1] in order to receive the security updates
described in the "Patching" section below. No other user action is
required in response to this QSB.

Summary
--------

On 2023-11-14, Intel published INTEL-SA-00950, "2023.4 IPU Out-of-Band
(OOB) - Intel® Processor Advisory" [3] accompanied by advisory guidance
[4] that states:

| Under certain microarchitectural conditions, Intel has identified
| cases where execution of an instruction (REP MOVSB) encoded with a
| redundant REX prefix may result in unpredictable system behavior
| resulting in a system crash/hang, or, in some limited scenarios, may
| allow escalation of privilege (EoP) from CPL3 to CPL0.

This vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2023-23583. [5]

Impact
-------

On affected systems, a qube running in PV mode can attempt to exploit
this vulnerability in order to escalate its privileges to those of dom0.
In the default Qubes OS configuration, the stubdomains for sys-net and
sys-usb run in PV mode. (Dom0 also runs in PV mode, but it is fully
trusted.)

In addition, any qube can attempt to exploit this vulnerability in order
to crash the system, resulting in a denial of service (DoS).

Tavis Ormandy's write-up [6] suggests that disabling hyper-threading
(which Qubes OS does by default) might reduce the impact to that of a
denial-of-service attack, but we cannot completely rule out the
possibility of privilege escalation even with hyper-threading disabled.

Affected systems
-----------------

Only systems with Intel processors are affected, specifically:

- 10th generation Core and newer processors
- Certain server processors

According to Intel, some recent processor families already have
mitigations. For details, see the tables of affected products in
INTEL-SA-00950. [3]

Patching
---------

The following packages contain security updates that address the
vulnerabilities described in this bulletin:

For Qubes 4.1, in dom0:
- microcode_ctl, version 2.1-56.qubes1

For Qubes 4.2, in dom0:
- microcode_ctl, version 2.1-56.qubes1

These packages will migrate from the security-testing repository to the
current (stable) repository over the next two weeks after being tested
by the community. [2] Once available, the packages are to be installed
via the Qubes Update tool or its command-line equivalents. [1]

Dom0 must be restarted afterward in order for the updates to take
effect.

If you use Anti Evil Maid, you will need to reseal your secret
passphrase to new PCR values, as PCR18+19 will change due to the new
initramfs binaries.

Credits
--------

See the Intel security advisory. [3]

References
-----------

[1] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/how-to-update/
[2] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/testing/
[3] https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00950.html
[4] https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/software-security-guidance/advisory-guidance/redundant-prefix-issue.html
[5] https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-23583
[6] https://lock.cmpxchg8b.com/reptar.html

--
The Qubes Security Team
https://www.qubes-os.org/security/

```

*Source*: <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack/blob/main/QSBs/qsb-097-2023.txt>

## [Marek Marczykowski-Górecki](https://www.qubes-os.org/team/#marek-marczykowski-górecki)'s PGP signature

```
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
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=jmq4
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
```

*Source*: <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack/blob/main/QSBs/qsb-097-2023.txt.sig.marmarek>

## [Simon Gaiser (aka HW42)](https://www.qubes-os.org/team/#simon-gaiser-aka-hw42)'s PGP signature

```
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
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=LP5Z
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
```

*Source*: <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack/blob/main/QSBs/qsb-097-2023.txt.sig.simon>

## What is the purpose of this announcement?

The purpose of this announcement is to inform the Qubes community that a new Qubes security bulletin (QSB) has been published.

## What is a Qubes security bulletin (QSB)?

A Qubes security bulletin (QSB) is a security announcement issued by the [Qubes security team](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/#qubes-security-team). A QSB typically provides a summary and impact analysis of one or more recently-discovered software vulnerabilities, including details about patching to address them. For a list of all QSBs, see [Qubes security bulletins (QSBs)](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/qsb/).

## Why should I care about QSBs?

QSBs tell you what actions you must take in order to protect yourself from recently-discovered security vulnerabilities. In most cases, security vulnerabilities are addressed by [updating normally](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/how-to-update/). However, in some cases, special user action is required. In all cases, the required actions are detailed in QSBs.

## What are the PGP signatures that accompany QSBs?

A [PGP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy) signature is a cryptographic [digital signature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signature) made in accordance with the [OpenPGP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy#OpenPGP) standard. PGP signatures can be cryptographically verified with programs like [GNU Privacy Guard (GPG)](https://gnupg.org/). The Qubes security team cryptographically signs all QSBs so that Qubes users have a reliable way to check whether QSBs are genuine. The only way to be certain that a QSB is authentic is by verifying its PGP signatures.

## Why should I care whether a QSB is authentic?

A forged QSB could deceive you into taking actions that adversely affect the security of your Qubes OS system, such as installing malware or making configuration changes that render your system vulnerable to attack. Falsified QSBs could sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the security of Qubes OS or the status of the Qubes OS Project.

## How do I verify the PGP signatures on a QSB?

The following command-line instructions assume a Linux system with `git` and `gpg` installed. (For Windows and Mac options, see [OpenPGP software](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/verifying-signatures/#openpgp-software).)

1. Obtain the Qubes Master Signing Key (QMSK), e.g.:

```shell_session
$ gpg --fetch-keys https://keys.qubes-os.org/keys/qubes-master-signing-key.asc
gpg: directory '/home/user/.gnupg' created
gpg: keybox '/home/user/.gnupg/pubring.kbx' created
gpg: requesting key from 'https://keys.qubes-os.org/keys/qubes-master-signing-key.asc'
gpg: /home/user/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key DDFA1A3E36879494: public key "Qubes Master Signing Key" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
```

(For more ways to obtain the QMSK, see [How to import and authenticate the Qubes Master Signing Key](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/verifying-signatures/#how-to-import-and-authenticate-the-qubes-master-signing-key).)

2. View the fingerprint of the PGP key you just imported. (Note: `gpg>` indicates a prompt inside of the GnuPG program. Type what appears after it when prompted.)

```shell_session
$ gpg --edit-key 0x427F11FD0FAA4B080123F01CDDFA1A3E36879494
gpg (GnuPG) 2.2.27; Copyright (C) 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.


pub rsa4096/DDFA1A3E36879494
created: 2010-04-01 expires: never usage: SC
trust: unknown validity: unknown
[ unknown] (1). Qubes Master Signing Key

gpg> fpr
pub rsa4096/DDFA1A3E36879494 2010-04-01 Qubes Master Signing Key
Primary key fingerprint: 427F 11FD 0FAA 4B08 0123 F01C DDFA 1A3E 3687 9494
```

3. *Important*: At this point, you still don't know whether the key you just imported is the genuine QMSK or a forgery. In order for this entire procedure to provide meaningful security benefits, you *must* authenticate the QMSK out-of-band. *Do not skip this step*! The standard method is to obtain the QMSK fingerprint from *multiple independent sources in several different ways* and check to see whether they match the key you just imported. For more information, see [How to import and authenticate the Qubes Master Signing Key](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/verifying-signatures/#how-to-import-and-authenticate-the-qubes-master-signing-key).

*Tip*: After you have authenticated the QMSK out-of-band to your satisfaction, record the QMSK fingerprint in a safe place (or several) so that you don't have to repeat this step in the future.

4. Once you are satisfied that you have the genuine QMSK, set its trust level to 5 ("ultimate"), then quit GnuPG with `q`.

```shell_session
gpg> trust
pub rsa4096/DDFA1A3E36879494
created: 2010-04-01 expires: never usage: SC
trust: unknown validity: unknown
[ unknown] (1). Qubes Master Signing Key

Please decide how far you trust this user to correctly verify other users' keys
(by looking at passports, checking fingerprints from different sources, etc.)

1 = I don't know or won't say
2 = I do NOT trust
3 = I trust marginally
4 = I trust fully
5 = I trust ultimately
m = back to the main menu

Your decision? 5
Do you really want to set this key to ultimate trust? (y/N) y

pub rsa4096/DDFA1A3E36879494
created: 2010-04-01 expires: never usage: SC
trust: ultimate validity: unknown
[ unknown] (1). Qubes Master Signing Key
Please note that the shown key validity is not necessarily correct
unless you restart the program.

gpg> q
```

5. Use Git to clone the qubes-secpack repo.

```shell_session
$ git clone https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack.git
Cloning into 'qubes-secpack'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 4065, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (1474/1474), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (742/742), done.
remote: Total 4065 (delta 743), reused 1413 (delta 731), pack-reused 2591
Receiving objects: 100% (4065/4065), 1.64 MiB | 2.53 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (1910/1910), done.
```

6. Import the included PGP keys. (See our [PGP key policies](https://www.qubes-os.org/security/pack/#pgp-key-policies) for important information about these keys.)

```shell_session
$ gpg --import qubes-secpack/keys/*/*
gpg: key 063938BA42CFA724: public key "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes OS signing key)" imported
gpg: qubes-secpack/keys/core-devs/retired: read error: Is a directory
gpg: no valid OpenPGP data found.
gpg: key 8C05216CE09C093C: 1 signature not checked due to a missing key
gpg: key 8C05216CE09C093C: public key "HW42 (Qubes Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key DA0434BC706E1FCF: public key "Simon Gaiser (Qubes OS signing key)" imported
gpg: key 8CE137352A019A17: 2 signatures not checked due to missing keys
gpg: key 8CE137352A019A17: public key "Andrew David Wong (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key AAA743B42FBC07A9: public key "Brennan Novak (Qubes Website & Documentation Signing)" imported
gpg: key B6A0BB95CA74A5C3: public key "Joanna Rutkowska (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key F32894BE9684938A: public key "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key 6E7A27B909DAFB92: public key "Hakisho Nukama (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key 485C7504F27D0A72: 1 signature not checked due to a missing key
gpg: key 485C7504F27D0A72: public key "Sven Semmler (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key BB52274595B71262: public key "unman (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key DC2F3678D272F2A8: 1 signature not checked due to a missing key
gpg: key DC2F3678D272F2A8: public key "Wojtek Porczyk (Qubes OS documentation signing key)" imported
gpg: key FD64F4F9E9720C4D: 1 signature not checked due to a missing key
gpg: key FD64F4F9E9720C4D: public key "Zrubi (Qubes Documentation Signing Key)" imported
gpg: key DDFA1A3E36879494: "Qubes Master Signing Key" not changed
gpg: key 1848792F9E2795E9: public key "Qubes OS Release 4 Signing Key" imported
gpg: qubes-secpack/keys/release-keys/retired: read error: Is a directory
gpg: no valid OpenPGP data found.
gpg: key D655A4F21830E06A: public key "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes security pack)" imported
gpg: key ACC2602F3F48CB21: public key "Qubes OS Security Team" imported
gpg: qubes-secpack/keys/security-team/retired: read error: Is a directory
gpg: no valid OpenPGP data found.
gpg: key 4AC18DE1112E1490: public key "Simon Gaiser (Qubes Security Pack signing key)" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 17
gpg: imported: 16
gpg: unchanged: 1
gpg: marginals needed: 3 completes needed: 1 trust model: pgp
gpg: depth: 0 valid: 1 signed: 6 trust: 0-, 0q, 0n, 0m, 0f, 1u
gpg: depth: 1 valid: 6 signed: 0 trust: 6-, 0q, 0n, 0m, 0f, 0u
```

7. Verify signed Git tags.

```shell_session
$ cd qubes-secpack/
$ git tag -v `git describe`
object 266e14a6fae57c9a91362c9ac784d3a891f4d351
type commit
tag marmarek_sec_266e14a6
tagger Marek Marczykowski-Górecki 1677757924 +0100

Tag for commit 266e14a6fae57c9a91362c9ac784d3a891f4d351
gpg: Signature made Thu 02 Mar 2023 03:52:04 AM PST
gpg: using RSA key 2D1771FE4D767EDC76B089FAD655A4F21830E06A
gpg: Good signature from "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes security pack)" [full]
```

The exact output will differ, but the final line should always start with `gpg: Good signature from...` followed by an appropriate key. The `[full]` indicates full trust, which this key inherits in virtue of being validly signed by the QMSK.

8. Verify PGP signatures, e.g.:

```shell_session
$ cd QSBs/
$ gpg --verify qsb-087-2022.txt.sig.marmarek qsb-087-2022.txt
gpg: Signature made Wed 23 Nov 2022 04:05:51 AM PST
gpg: using RSA key 2D1771FE4D767EDC76B089FAD655A4F21830E06A
gpg: Good signature from "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes security pack)" [full]
$ gpg --verify qsb-087-2022.txt.sig.simon qsb-087-2022.txt
gpg: Signature made Wed 23 Nov 2022 03:50:42 AM PST
gpg: using RSA key EA18E7F040C41DDAEFE9AA0F4AC18DE1112E1490
gpg: Good signature from "Simon Gaiser (Qubes Security Pack signing key)" [full]
$ cd ../canaries/
$ gpg --verify canary-034-2023.txt.sig.marmarek canary-034-2023.txt
gpg: Signature made Thu 02 Mar 2023 03:51:48 AM PST
gpg: using RSA key 2D1771FE4D767EDC76B089FAD655A4F21830E06A
gpg: Good signature from "Marek Marczykowski-Górecki (Qubes security pack)" [full]
$ gpg --verify canary-034-2023.txt.sig.simon canary-034-2023.txt
gpg: Signature made Thu 02 Mar 2023 01:47:52 AM PST
gpg: using RSA key EA18E7F040C41DDAEFE9AA0F4AC18DE1112E1490
gpg: Good signature from "Simon Gaiser (Qubes Security Pack signing key)" [full]
```

Again, the exact output will differ, but the final line of output from each `gpg --verify` command should always start with `gpg: Good signature from...` followed by an appropriate key.


For this announcement (QSB-097), the commands are:

```
$ gpg --verify qsb-097-2023.txt.sig.marmarek qsb-097-2023.txt
$ gpg --verify qsb-097-2023.txt.sig.simon qsb-097-2023.txt
```

You can also verify the signatures directly from this announcement in addition to or instead of verifying the files from the qubes-secpack. Simply copy and paste the QSB-097 text into a plain text file and do the same for both signature files. Then, perform the same authentication steps as listed above, substituting the filenames above with the names of the files you just created.


This announcement is also available on the Qubes website:
https://www.qubes-os.org/news/2023/11/15/qsb-097/