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

From: Florian Westphal
Date: Tue Oct 28 2014 - 05:46:23 EST


billbonaparte <programme110@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 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.

Correct. This is broken since the central spin lock removal, since
nf_conntrack_lock no longer protects both get_next_corpse and
conntrack_confirm.

Please send a patch, moving dying check after removal of conntrack from
the percpu list, and add

Fixes: 93bb0ceb75be2 (netfilter: conntrack: remove central spinlock nf_conntrack_lock)

tag to patch.

> 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.

Yes.

> 2. operation on ct->status should be atomic, because it race aginst
> get_next_corpse.

Alternatively we could also get rid of the unconfirmed list handling in
get_next_corpse, it looks to me as if its simply not worth the trouble
to also caring about unconfirmed lists.
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