Re: [Linux-kernel-mentees] [PATCH] fs: fix KMSAN uninit-value bug by initializing nd in do_file_open_root

[Greg KH]

On Wed, Sep 16, 2020 at 10:56:56AM +0530, Anant Thazhemadam wrote:
> The KMSAN bug report for the bug indicates that there exists;
> Local variable ----nd@do_file_open_root created at:
>  do_file_open_root+0xa4/0xb40 fs/namei.c:3385
>  do_file_open_root+0xa4/0xb40 fs/namei.c:3385

What does this "error" mean?

> Initializing nd fixes this issue, and doesn't break anything else either
> 
> Fixes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=4191a44ad556eacc1a7a
> Reported-by: syzbot+4191a44ad556eacc1a7a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Tested-by: syzbot+4191a44ad556eacc1a7a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Signed-off-by: Anant Thazhemadam <anant.thazhemadam@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  fs/namei.c | 2 +-
>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
> index e99e2a9da0f7..b27382586209 100644
> --- a/fs/namei.c
> +++ b/fs/namei.c
> @@ -3404,7 +3404,7 @@ struct file *do_filp_open(int dfd, struct filename *pathname,
>  struct file *do_file_open_root(struct dentry *dentry, struct vfsmount *mnt,
>  		const char *name, const struct open_flags *op)
>  {
> -	struct nameidata nd;
> +	struct nameidata nd = {};

What exactly does setting this structure to all 0 fix here that is
currently "broken"?

confused,

greg k-h