[PATCH v5 2/3] tracing/fprobe: Avoid kcalloc() in rcu_read_lock section

From: Masami Hiramatsu (Google)

Date: Mon Apr 13 2026 - 04:43:02 EST


From: Masami Hiramatsu (Google) <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>

fprobe_remove_node_in_module() is called under RCU read locked, but
this invokes kcalloc() if there are more than 8 fprobes installed
on the module. Sashiko warns it because kcalloc() can sleep [1].

[1] https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/177552432201.853249.5125045538812833325.stgit%40mhiramat.tok.corp.google.com

To fix this issue, expand the batch size to 128 and do not expand
the fprobe_addr_list, but just cancel walking on fprobe_ip_table,
update fgraph/ftrace_ops and retry the loop again.

Fixes: 0de4c70d04a4 ("tracing: fprobe: use rhltable for fprobe_ip_table")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Masami Hiramatsu (Google) <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes in v5:
- Skip updating ftrace_ops when fails to allocate memory in module
unloading.
Changes in v4:
- fix a build error typo in case of CONFIG_DYNAMIC_FTRACE=n.
Changes in v3:
- Retry inside rhltable_walk_enter/exit().
- Rename fprobe_set_ips() to fprobe_remove_ips().
- Rename 'retry' label to 'again'.
---
kernel/trace/fprobe.c | 89 +++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------------
1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 48 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/trace/fprobe.c b/kernel/trace/fprobe.c
index 1d9a3d2276cd..b5ce98d2ea96 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/fprobe.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/fprobe.c
@@ -346,11 +346,10 @@ static bool fprobe_is_ftrace(struct fprobe *fp)
}

#ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
-static void fprobe_set_ips(unsigned long *ips, unsigned int cnt, int remove,
- int reset)
+static void fprobe_remove_ips(unsigned long *ips, unsigned int cnt)
{
- ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_graph_ops.ops, ips, cnt, remove, reset);
- ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_ftrace_ops, ips, cnt, remove, reset);
+ ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_graph_ops.ops, ips, cnt, 1, 0);
+ ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_ftrace_ops, ips, cnt, 1, 0);
}
#endif
#else
@@ -369,10 +368,9 @@ static bool fprobe_is_ftrace(struct fprobe *fp)
}

#ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
-static void fprobe_set_ips(unsigned long *ips, unsigned int cnt, int remove,
- int reset)
+static void fprobe_remove_ips(unsigned long *ips, unsigned int cnt)
{
- ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_graph_ops.ops, ips, cnt, remove, reset);
+ ftrace_set_filter_ips(&fprobe_graph_ops.ops, ips, cnt, 1, 0);
}
#endif
#endif /* !CONFIG_DYNAMIC_FTRACE_WITH_ARGS && !CONFIG_DYNAMIC_FTRACE_WITH_REGS */
@@ -546,7 +544,7 @@ static void fprobe_graph_remove_ips(unsigned long *addrs, int num)

#ifdef CONFIG_MODULES

-#define FPROBE_IPS_BATCH_INIT 8
+#define FPROBE_IPS_BATCH_INIT 128
/* instruction pointer address list */
struct fprobe_addr_list {
int index;
@@ -554,45 +552,24 @@ struct fprobe_addr_list {
unsigned long *addrs;
};

-static int fprobe_addr_list_add(struct fprobe_addr_list *alist, unsigned long addr)
+static int fprobe_remove_node_in_module(struct module *mod, struct fprobe_hlist_node *node,
+ struct fprobe_addr_list *alist)
{
- unsigned long *addrs;
-
- /* Previously we failed to expand the list. */
- if (alist->index == alist->size)
- return -ENOSPC;
-
- alist->addrs[alist->index++] = addr;
- if (alist->index < alist->size)
+ if (!within_module(node->addr, mod))
return 0;

- /* Expand the address list */
- addrs = kcalloc(alist->size * 2, sizeof(*addrs), GFP_KERNEL);
- if (!addrs)
- return -ENOMEM;
-
- memcpy(addrs, alist->addrs, alist->size * sizeof(*addrs));
- alist->size *= 2;
- kfree(alist->addrs);
- alist->addrs = addrs;
+ if (delete_fprobe_node(node))
+ return 0;
+ /* If no address list is available, we can't track this address. */
+ if (!alist->addrs)
+ return 0;

+ alist->addrs[alist->index++] = node->addr;
+ if (alist->index == alist->size)
+ return -ENOSPC;
return 0;
}

-static void fprobe_remove_node_in_module(struct module *mod, struct fprobe_hlist_node *node,
- struct fprobe_addr_list *alist)
-{
- if (!within_module(node->addr, mod))
- return;
- if (delete_fprobe_node(node))
- return;
- /*
- * If failed to update alist, just continue to update hlist.
- * Therefore, at list user handler will not hit anymore.
- */
- fprobe_addr_list_add(alist, node->addr);
-}
-
/* Handle module unloading to manage fprobe_ip_table. */
static int fprobe_module_callback(struct notifier_block *nb,
unsigned long val, void *data)
@@ -601,29 +578,45 @@ static int fprobe_module_callback(struct notifier_block *nb,
struct fprobe_hlist_node *node;
struct rhashtable_iter iter;
struct module *mod = data;
+ bool retry;

if (val != MODULE_STATE_GOING)
return NOTIFY_DONE;

alist.addrs = kcalloc(alist.size, sizeof(*alist.addrs), GFP_KERNEL);
- /* If failed to alloc memory, we can not remove ips from hash. */
- if (!alist.addrs)
- return NOTIFY_DONE;
+ /*
+ * If failed to alloc memory, ftrace_ops will not be able to remove ips from
+ * hash, but we can still remove nodes from fprobe_ip_table, so we can avoid
+ * the potential wrong callback. So just print a warning here and try to
+ * continue without address list.
+ */
+ WARN_ONCE(!alist.addrs,
+ "Failed to allocate memory for fprobe_addr_list, ftrace_ops will not be updated");

mutex_lock(&fprobe_mutex);
rhltable_walk_enter(&fprobe_ip_table, &iter);
+again:
+ retry = false;
+ alist.index = 0;
do {
rhashtable_walk_start(&iter);

while ((node = rhashtable_walk_next(&iter)) && !IS_ERR(node))
- fprobe_remove_node_in_module(mod, node, &alist);
+ if (fprobe_remove_node_in_module(mod, node, &alist) < 0) {
+ retry = true;
+ break;
+ }

rhashtable_walk_stop(&iter);
- } while (node == ERR_PTR(-EAGAIN));
- rhashtable_walk_exit(&iter);
+ } while (node == ERR_PTR(-EAGAIN) && !retry);
+ /* Remove any ips from hash table(s) */
+ if (alist.index > 0) {
+ fprobe_remove_ips(alist.addrs, alist.index);
+ if (retry)
+ goto again;
+ }

- if (alist.index > 0)
- fprobe_set_ips(alist.addrs, alist.index, 1, 0);
+ rhashtable_walk_exit(&iter);
mutex_unlock(&fprobe_mutex);

kfree(alist.addrs);