netfilter: nf_conntrack: there maybe a bug in __nf_conntrack_confirm, when it race against get_next_corpse

From: billbonaparte
Date: Mon Oct 27 2014 - 23:38:11 EST


Hi, all:
sorry for sending this mail again, the last mail doesn't show text
clearly.
In function __nf_conntrack_confirm, we check the conntrack if it was
alreay dead, before insert it into hash-table.
we do this because if we insert an already 'dead' hash, it will
block further use of that particular connection.
but we don't do that right.
let's consider the following case:

cpu1 cpu2
__nf_conntrack_confirm get_next_corpse
lock corresponding hash-list ....
check nf_ct_is_dying(ct)
for_each_possible_cpu(cpu) {
......
spin_lock_bh(&pcpu->lock);
......
set_bit(IPS_DYING_BIT, &ct->status);
nf_ct_del_from_dying_or_unconfirmed_list(ct);
spin_unlock_bh(&pcpu_lock);
add_timer(&ct->timeout); }
ct->status |= IPS_CONFIRMD;
__nf_conntrack_hash_insert(ct); /* the conntrack has been seted as
dying*/


The above case reveal two problems:
1. we may insert a dead conntrack to hash-table, it will block
further use of that particular connection.
2. operation on ct->status should be atomic, because it race aginst
get_next_corpse.
due to this reason, the operation on ct->status in
nf_nat_setup_info should be atomic as well.

if we want to resolve the first problem, we must delete the
unconfirmed conntrack from unconfirmed-list first, then check if it is
already dead.
Am I right to do this ?
Appreciate any comments and reply.

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