Re: [PATCH v2 4/6] sched: Extend task command name to 64 bytes

[David Laight]

On Mon, 25 May 2026 11:41:07 +0100
David Laight <david.laight.linux@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Sun, 24 May 2026 19:38:54 -0300
> André Almeida <andrealmeid@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > Command name has been restrict to only 16 bytes, which is too limiting,
> > specially when debugging and tracing complex software with thousands of
> > threads and the need to differentiate them.
> > 
> > Just as it was done with kthreads in commit 6b59808bfe48 ("workqueue:
> > Show the latest workqueue name in /proc/PID/{comm,stat,status}"), support
> > long names for userspace threads as well.
> > 
> > To avoid buffer overflows, cap all existing userspace APIs to
> > TASK_COMM_LEN, and leave the full extended name for a new interface.
> > 
> > Co-developed-by: Bhupesh <bhupesh@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Signed-off-by: Bhupesh <bhupesh@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Signed-off-by: André Almeida <andrealmeid@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> >  fs/proc/array.c       |  2 +-
> >  include/linux/sched.h |  3 ++-
> >  kernel/sys.c          | 10 +++++-----
> >  3 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
> > 
> > diff --git a/fs/proc/array.c b/fs/proc/array.c
> > index c8c3fbd9bfa9..312371eddc7f 100644
> > --- a/fs/proc/array.c
> > +++ b/fs/proc/array.c
> > @@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ void proc_task_name(struct seq_file *m, struct task_struct *p, bool escape)
> >  	else if (p->flags & PF_KTHREAD)
> >  		get_kthread_comm(tcomm, sizeof(tcomm), p);
> >  	else
> > -		strscpy_pad(tcomm, p->comm);
> > +		strscpy_pad(tcomm, p->comm, TASK_COMM_LEN);
> >  
> >  	if (escape)
> >  		seq_escape_str(m, tcomm, ESCAPE_SPACE | ESCAPE_SPECIAL, "\n\\");
> > diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
> > index b6de742b1155..f7fd2b7d131d 100644
> > --- a/include/linux/sched.h
> > +++ b/include/linux/sched.h
> > @@ -323,6 +323,7 @@ struct user_event_mm;
> >   */
> >  enum {
> >  	TASK_COMM_LEN = 16,
> > +	TASK_COMM_EXT_LEN = 64,
> >  };
> >  
> >  extern void sched_tick(void);
> > @@ -1167,7 +1168,7 @@ struct task_struct {
> >  	 * - set it with set_task_comm() to ensure it is always
> >  	 *   NUL-terminated and zero-padded
> >  	 */
> > -	char				comm[TASK_COMM_LEN];
> > +	char				comm[TASK_COMM_EXT_LEN];
> >  
> >  	struct nameidata		*nameidata;
> >  
> > diff --git a/kernel/sys.c b/kernel/sys.c
> > index 1d5152d2395e..76d77218ab19 100644
> > --- a/kernel/sys.c
> > +++ b/kernel/sys.c
> > @@ -2535,7 +2535,7 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(prctl, int, option, unsigned long, arg2, unsigned long, arg3,
> >  		unsigned long, arg4, unsigned long, arg5)
> >  {
> >  	struct task_struct *me = current;
> > -	unsigned char comm[sizeof(me->comm)];
> > +	unsigned char comm[TASK_COMM_LEN];
> >  	long error;
> >  
> >  	error = security_task_prctl(option, arg2, arg3, arg4, arg5);
> > @@ -2601,16 +2601,16 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(prctl, int, option, unsigned long, arg2, unsigned long, arg3,
> >  			error = -EINVAL;
> >  		break;
> >  	case PR_SET_NAME:
> > -		comm[sizeof(me->comm) - 1] = 0;
> > +		comm[TASK_COMM_LEN - 1] = 0;
> >  		if (strncpy_from_user(comm, (char __user *)arg2,
> > -				      sizeof(me->comm) - 1) < 0)
> > +				      TASK_COMM_LEN - 1) < 0)  
> 
> Nak - you can't do that.
> You are reading data that the application doesn't expect you to read.

Or have I got confused over the names...

-- David

> 
> >  			return -EFAULT;
> >  		set_task_comm(me, comm);
> >  		proc_comm_connector(me);
> >  		break;
> >  	case PR_GET_NAME:
> > -		strscpy_pad(comm, me->comm);
> > -		if (copy_to_user((char __user *)arg2, comm, sizeof(comm)))
> > +		strscpy_pad(comm, me->comm, TASK_COMM_LEN);
> > +		if (copy_to_user((char __user *)arg2, comm, TASK_COMM_LEN))  
> 
> Double-nak - you are writing beyond the end of the applications buffer.
> 
> You can't change the user memory that the syscalls access.
> 
> You can support the longer name for read/write of /proc/self/comm.
> 
> -- David
> 
> >  			return -EFAULT;
> >  		break;
> >  	case PR_GET_ENDIAN:
> >   
>