compatibility is required, use the newest CPU model that is compatible
across all desired hosts.
+``ClearwaterForest``
+ Intel Xeon Processor (ClearwaterForest, 2025)
+
+``SierraForest``, ``SierraForest-v2``
+ Intel Xeon Processor (SierraForest, 2024), SierraForest-v2 mitigates
+ the GDS and RFDS vulnerabilities with stepping 3.
+
+``GraniteRapids``, ``GraniteRapids-v2``
+ Intel Xeon Processor (GraniteRapids, 2024)
+
``Cascadelake-Server``, ``Cascadelake-Server-noTSX``
Intel Xeon Processor (Cascade Lake, 2019), with "stepping" levels 6
or 7 only. (The Cascade Lake Xeon processor with *stepping 5 is
CVE-2018-12127, [MSBDS] CVE-2018-12126).
This is an MSR (Model-Specific Register) feature rather than a CPUID feature,
- so it will not appear in the Linux ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or
+ therefore it will not appear in the Linux ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or
guest. Instead, the host kernel uses it to populate the MDS
vulnerability file in ``sysfs``.
affected} in the ``/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/mds`` file.
``taa-no``
- Recommended to inform that the guest that the host is ``not``
+ Recommended to inform the guest that the host is ``not``
vulnerable to CVE-2019-11135, TSX Asynchronous Abort (TAA).
- This too is an MSR feature, so it does not show up in the Linux
+ This is also an MSR feature, therefore it does not show up in the Linux
``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or guest.
It should only be enabled for VMs if the host reports ``Not affected``
By disabling TSX, KVM-based guests can avoid paying the price of
mitigating TSX-based attacks.
- Note that ``tsx-ctrl`` too is an MSR feature, so it does not show
+ Note that ``tsx-ctrl`` is also an MSR feature, therefore it does not show
up in the Linux ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or guest.
To validate that Intel TSX is indeed disabled for the guest, there are
``/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/tsx_async_abort`` file in
the guest should report ``Mitigation: TSX disabled``.
+``bhi-no``
+ Recommended to inform the guest that the host is ``not``
+ vulnerable to CVE-2022-0001, Branch History Injection (BHI).
+
+ This is also an MSR feature, therefore it does not show up in the Linux
+ ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or guest.
+
+ It should only be enabled for VMs if the host reports
+ ``BHI: Not affected`` in the
+ ``/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/spectre_v2`` file.
+
+``gds-no``
+ Recommended to inform the guest that the host is ``not``
+ vulnerable to CVE-2022-40982, Gather Data Sampling (GDS).
+
+ This is also an MSR feature, therefore it does not show up in the Linux
+ ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or guest.
+
+ It should only be enabled for VMs if the host reports ``Not affected``
+ in the ``/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/gather_data_sampling``
+ file.
+
+``rfds-no``
+ Recommended to inform the guest that the host is ``not``
+ vulnerable to CVE-2023-28746, Register File Data Sampling (RFDS).
+
+ This is also an MSR feature, therefore it does not show up in the Linux
+ ``/proc/cpuinfo`` in the host or guest.
+
+ It should only be enabled for VMs if the host reports ``Not affected``
+ in the ``/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/reg_file_data_sampling``
+ file.
Preferred CPU models for AMD x86 hosts
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^