[for-linus][PATCH 7/7] samples/ftrace: Fix kthread_stop() on ERR_PTR in ftrace-direct-multi-modify

From: Steven Rostedt

Date: Thu Aug 27 2026 - 11:13:36 EST


From: Haotian Zhang <vulab@xxxxxxxxxxx>

ftrace_direct_multi_init() assigns kthread_run()'s return value to
simple_tsk without an IS_ERR() check. When kthread_run() fails it
returns ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM), but init still returns 0, so the module loads
with simple_tsk holding an error pointer. On unload,
ftrace_direct_multi_exit() then passes that ERR_PTR to kthread_stop(),
leading to a null-pointer-dereference.

Check the return value of kthread_run() with IS_ERR(); on failure,
unregister the ftrace direct call and propagate the error code.

Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260826015050.10772-1-vulab@xxxxxxxxxxx
Fixes: e1067a07cfbc ("ftrace/samples: Add module to test multi direct modify interface")
Suggested-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Haotian Zhang <vulab@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
samples/ftrace/ftrace-direct-multi-modify.c | 12 +++++++++---
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/samples/ftrace/ftrace-direct-multi-modify.c b/samples/ftrace/ftrace-direct-multi-modify.c
index 7a7822dfeb50..b03766c6217b 100644
--- a/samples/ftrace/ftrace-direct-multi-modify.c
+++ b/samples/ftrace/ftrace-direct-multi-modify.c
@@ -364,9 +364,15 @@ static int __init ftrace_direct_multi_init(void)

ret = register_ftrace_direct(&direct, my_tramp);

- if (!ret)
- simple_tsk = kthread_run(simple_thread, NULL, "event-sample-fn");
- return ret;
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+ simple_tsk = kthread_run(simple_thread, NULL, "event-sample-fn");
+ if (IS_ERR(simple_tsk)) {
+ unregister_ftrace_direct(&direct, my_tramp, true);
+ return PTR_ERR(simple_tsk);
+ }
+
+ return 0;
}

static void __exit ftrace_direct_multi_exit(void)
--
2.53.0