Where are you seeing the disabling algif_aead mitigation?

In TFA: https://copy.fail/#mitigation

> Before you can patch: disable the algif_aead module.

> echo "install algif_aead /bin/false" > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-algif.conf

> rmmod algif_aead 2>/dev/null || true

Edit: and I can confirm that on my system with kernel 6.19.8 the above fixes the exploit.

Weirdly, the mitigation does not seem to work under WSL2 (at least in Ubuntu 24.04).

    Linux wsl2 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2 ...

`modprobe algif_aead` errors out, but if I run the POC, it succeeds.

Outside of WSL2, the mitigation does appear to work though.

It's possible that the WSL kernel has that code compiled-in rather than as a loadable module. If they ship the kernel config somewhere, you could verify with

  zgrep CRYPTO_USER_API_AEAD /proc/config.gz /boot/config-*

It should show =m if it's a loadable module, and =y if it's compiled in.

It's a loadable module:

    CONFIG_CRYPTO_USER_API_AEAD=m

Using bpftrace to watch calls to module_request, openat, etc., it looks like when the kernel calls modprobe, it doesn't even look at the disable-algif.conf file:

    [module_request] pid=3648 comm=python name=algif-aead
    [umh_setup] pid=3648 comm=python path=/sbin/modprobe argv0=/sbin/modprobe argv1=-q argv2=-- argv3=algif-aead argv4=
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/etc/ld.so.cache
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/liblzma.so.5
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/libz.so.1
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/libgcc_s.so.1
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/libc.so.6
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/etc/modprobe.d
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modprobe.d
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modprobe.d/dist-blacklist.conf
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.softdep
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modprobe.d/systemd.conf
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/etc/modprobe.d/usb.conf
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/proc/cmdline
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.dep.bin
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.alias.bin..
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.symbols.b..
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.builtin.a..
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/modules.builtin.b..
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/sys/module/algif_aead/initstate
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/sys/module/af_alg/initstate
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/sys/module/algif_aead/initstate
    [openat] pid=3688 file=/lib/modules/6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2/kernel/crypto/alg..
    [finit_module] pid=3688 comm=modprobe fd=0 flags=0
    [module_load] pid=3688 comm=modprobe name=algif_aead

Restart WSL2, run the bpftrace, and try `sudo modprobe algif-aead`, and that shows it looking at (or I guess opening) other files in /etc/modprobe.d, including the new one.

The mystery is why.

In wsl, each distro you have runs in a container (with lot of permissions), you'd need to apply the modprobe change inside wsl "hypervisor" rootfs

The only way to solve this issue in WSL is to rebuild your kernel:

~ uname -r

6.18.20.3-microsoft-standard-WSL2+