[PATCH bpf v3 2/2] bpf, xdp: move offload check into dev_xdp_install()

From: Jiayuan Chen

Date: Sat Apr 25 2026 - 07:01:06 EST


bpf_xdp_link_update() calls dev_xdp_install() directly and bypasses
dev_xdp_attach(), so the offload check that lived in dev_xdp_attach()
does not apply. A user can create an XDP link in SKB or native mode
with a regular program and then replace it via BPF_LINK_UPDATE with an
offloaded program, whose bpf_func is bpf_prog_warn_on_exec(), tripping
the WARN on the first packet.

Move the check from dev_xdp_attach() into dev_xdp_install() so both
the attach path and the link update path are covered by a single check
at the actual install site.

Fixes: 026a4c28e1db3 ("bpf, xdp: Implement LINK_UPDATE for BPF XDP link")
Signed-off-by: Jiayuan Chen <jiayuan.chen@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/core/dev.c | 9 +++++----
1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index 831129f2a69b5..e3958281e8d63 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -10330,6 +10330,11 @@ static int dev_xdp_install(struct net_device *dev, enum bpf_xdp_mode mode,

netdev_ops_assert_locked(dev);

+ if (prog && mode != XDP_MODE_HW && bpf_prog_is_offloaded(prog->aux)) {
+ NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "Using offloaded program without HW_MODE flag is not supported");
+ return -EINVAL;
+ }
+
if (dev->cfg->hds_config == ETHTOOL_TCP_DATA_SPLIT_ENABLED &&
prog && !prog->aux->xdp_has_frags) {
NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "unable to install XDP to device using tcp-data-split");
@@ -10481,10 +10486,6 @@ static int dev_xdp_attach(struct net_device *dev, struct netlink_ext_ack *extack
NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "Native and generic XDP can't be active at the same time");
return -EEXIST;
}
- if (!offload && bpf_prog_is_offloaded(new_prog->aux)) {
- NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "Using offloaded program without HW_MODE flag is not supported");
- return -EINVAL;
- }
if (bpf_prog_is_dev_bound(new_prog->aux) && !bpf_offload_dev_match(new_prog, dev)) {
NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "Program bound to different device");
return -EINVAL;
--
2.43.0