Re: [PATCH net-next v2 7/8] net: skbuff: don't BUG() on a missing head_frag in skb_zerocopy()

[netdev-bot+sashiko]

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- [Medium] The commit message calls `!from->head_frag && !hlen` in
  skb_zerocopy() a caller bug or "bad skb geometry".
- [Low] The patch adds a new -EFAULT return to skb_zerocopy() without
  updating its kernel-doc.

--

net: skbuff: don't BUG() on a missing head_frag in skb_zerocopy()

This patch replaces the BUG_ON() in skb_zerocopy(), which fires when @from
has no head_frag and hlen is 0. In its place is a DEBUG_NET_WARN_ON_ONCE()
and an -EFAULT return. The commit message describes the condition as bad
skb geometry passed in by the caller.

> diff --git a/net/core/skbuff.c b/net/core/skbuff.c
> index 7fd2f8142cc41..629de22d98e48 100644
> --- a/net/core/skbuff.c
> +++ b/net/core/skbuff.c
> @@ -3913,7 +3913,10 @@ skb_zerocopy(struct sk_buff *to, struct sk_buff *from, int len, int hlen)
>  	struct page *page;
>  	unsigned int offset;
>  
> -	BUG_ON(!from->head_frag && !hlen);
> +	if (unlikely(!from->head_frag && !hlen)) {
> +		DEBUG_NET_WARN_ON_ONCE(1);
> +		return -EFAULT;
> +	}
>  
>  	/* dont bother with small payloads */
>  	if (len <= skb_tailroom(to))

[Severity: Medium]
Is this condition always a caller bug? The commit message says:

  "The check runs before anything is touched, and skb_zerocopy() already
  documents -EFAULT for bad skb geometry."

An ordinary zero-length packet from Open vSwitch seems able to reach it:

ovs_packet_cmd_execute()
  __dev_alloc_skb(NET_IP_ALIGN + len, GFP_KERNEL) /* kmalloc head */
  ... POP_ETH action on a 14 byte untagged frame
    pop_eth()->skb_eth_pop()->skb_pull_rcsum(skb, ETH_HLEN) /* len 0 */
  ... USERSPACE action
    output_userspace()->ovs_dp_upcall()->queue_userspace_packet()
      skb_zerocopy(user_skb, skb, 0, 0)

Because the allocation uses GFP_KERNEL, the head comes from kmalloc and
head_frag stays 0.

In queue_userspace_packet(), skb_len = min(skb->len, cutlen) is 0, and
hlen is 0 on both branches:

	if (dp->user_features & OVS_DP_F_UNALIGNED)
		hlen = min(skb_zerocopy_headlen(skb), cutlen);
	else
		hlen = skb_len;

When a !head_frag skb has no linear data, skb_zerocopy_headlen() returns
from->len, which is 0 here.

OVS_PACKET_CMD_EXECUTE uses GENL_UNS_ADMIN_PERM, so CAP_NET_ADMIN inside a
user namespace is enough to get here. With the old BUG_ON(), that made
this a crash that userspace could trigger.

Should the commit message describe this path and carry a Fixes: tag and a
stable note, so stable kernels pick up the change?

With len == 0, the small-payload fast path below always copies zero bytes
and returns 0. That is what an skb with head_frag already gets.

After this patch, the same request returns -EFAULT for kmalloc-head skbs.
The upcall is then dropped and counted in n_lost. On CONFIG_DEBUG_NET
kernels it also fires a WARN that userspace can trigger, and with
panic_on_warn set that WARN panics the machine.

nfqnl_build_packet_message() never hits this because it only calls
skb_zerocopy() when data_len is non-zero. queue_userspace_packet() has no
such guard.

Could the check move below the "len <= skb_tailroom(to)" fast path? Or
could it be enforced only when the head really has to be referenced as a
page, i.e. hlen == 0 && plen > 0?

[Severity: Low]
This isn't a bug, but the kernel-doc for skb_zerocopy() still gives only
these causes for -EFAULT:

 *	-EFAULT: skb_copy_bits() found some problem with skb geometry, or readable head
 *      payload would be mixed with unreadable frags.

The new early return gives -EFAULT before skb_copy_bits() or any frag
readability check runs.

Should the Return value section mention this case? It could also state the
precondition the old BUG_ON() enforced: hlen must be non-zero when @from
has no head_frag.

-- 
Sashiko AI review · https://netdev-ai.bots.linux.dev/sashiko/#/patchset/20261007-b4-skbuff-bug-on-v2-0-b9a5f732895b%40toxicpanda.com