[PATCH v2] module/kallsyms: Filter out local mapping symbols during module load

From: Tiezhu Yang

Date: Tue Aug 11 2026 - 03:24:43 EST


The compiler toolchains generate internal local labels on certain
architectures (such as LoongArch) for optimizations and relocations.

While these local labels are filtered out during runtime lookups in
find_kallsyms_symbol(), they still leak into the permanent symbol
tables of loaded modules, because layout_symtab() and add_kallsyms()
do not check for the mapping symbols during layout generation.

Consequently, tracing tools like bpftrace resolve identical addresses
into confusing local labels instead of actual clear C function names.

Fix this by adding is_mapping_symbol() checks directly into the symbol
tracking loops of layout_symtab() and add_kallsyms(). This prevents the
mapping symbols from entering the module's memory symbol arrays at load
time.

For livepatch modules, core_kallsyms.symtab must remain a complete copy
of the original ELF symbol table to prevent delayed relocation failures.
Therefore, enforce is_livepatch_module() checking to skip the filtering
for livepatch modules.

Reproduce steps:

1. Set up a LoongArch VM with "-accel kvm":

$ sudo qemu-system-loongarch64 -serial stdio \
-machine virt -cpu la464 -smp 4 -m 4G \
-bios /usr/share/edk2/loongarch64/QEMU_EFI.fd \
-nodefaults -no-reboot -nographic -accel kvm

2. Use bpftrace to capture kstack when vCPU is scheduled out:

$ cat trace_sched.bt
kprobe:kvm:kvm_sched_out
{
if (pid == $1) {
print(kstack());
}
}

$ sudo bpftrace trace_sched.bt `pgrep -o qemu-system`

Test results:

1. Before this patch (Confusing stack with local labels):

kvm_sched_out+0
__schedule+1584
schedule+48
.LVL3767+36
.LVL3801+8
.LVL285+12
.LVL425+44
.LVL1419+20
kvm_exc_entry+260

2. After this patch (Accurate stack with function names):

kvm_sched_out+0
__schedule+1584
schedule+48
kvm_vcpu_block+112
kvm_vcpu_halt+104
kvm_emu_idle+284
kvm_handle_gspr+1316
kvm_handle_exit+456
kvm_exc_entry+260

Signed-off-by: Tiezhu Yang <yangtiezhu@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
v2: Fix livepatch support as pointed out by Sashiko bot.

kernel/module/kallsyms.c | 9 +++++++++
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/module/kallsyms.c b/kernel/module/kallsyms.c
index f23126d804b2..aece7aa49dd4 100644
--- a/kernel/module/kallsyms.c
+++ b/kernel/module/kallsyms.c
@@ -130,6 +130,10 @@ void layout_symtab(struct module *mod, struct load_info *info)

/* Compute total space required for the core symbols' strtab. */
for (ndst = i = 0; i < nsrc; i++) {
+ if (!is_livepatch_module(mod) &&
+ is_mapping_symbol(&info->strtab[src[i].st_name]))
+ continue;
+
if (i == 0 || is_livepatch_module(mod) ||
is_core_symbol(src + i, info->sechdrs, info->hdr->e_shnum,
info->index.pcpu)) {
@@ -198,6 +202,11 @@ void add_kallsyms(struct module *mod, const struct load_info *info)
src = kallsyms->symtab;
for (ndst = i = 0; i < kallsyms->num_symtab; i++) {
kallsyms->typetab[i] = elf_type(src + i, info);
+
+ if (!is_livepatch_module(mod) &&
+ is_mapping_symbol(&kallsyms->strtab[src[i].st_name]))
+ continue;
+
if (i == 0 || is_livepatch_module(mod) ||
is_core_symbol(src + i, info->sechdrs, info->hdr->e_shnum,
info->index.pcpu)) {
--
2.42.0