[PATCH] vmcore: replace strncpy with strtomem

From: Justin Stitt
Date: Wed Mar 27 2024 - 17:11:07 EST


strncpy() is in the process of being replaced as it is deprecated in
some situations [1]. While the specific use of strncpy that this patch
targets is not exactly deprecated, the real mission is to rid the kernel
of all its uses.

Looking at vmcoredd_header's definition:
| struct vmcoredd_header {
| __u32 n_namesz; /* Name size */
| __u32 n_descsz; /* Content size */
| __u32 n_type; /* NT_VMCOREDD */
| __u8 name[8]; /* LINUX\0\0\0 */
| __u8 dump_name[VMCOREDD_MAX_NAME_BYTES]; /* Device dump's name */
| };
.. we can see that both `name` and `dump_name` are u8s. It seems `name`
wants to be NUL-padded (based on the comment above), but for the sake of
symmetry lets NUL-pad both of these.

Mark these buffers as __nonstring and use strtomem_pad.

Link: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/deprecated.html#strncpy-on-nul-terminated-strings [1]
Link: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/90
Cc: linux-hardening@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Justin Stitt <justinstitt@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Note: build-tested only.

Found with: $ rg "strncpy\("
---
fs/proc/vmcore.c | 5 ++---
include/uapi/linux/vmcore.h | 4 ++--
2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/proc/vmcore.c b/fs/proc/vmcore.c
index 1fb213f379a5..5d7ecf3b75e8 100644
--- a/fs/proc/vmcore.c
+++ b/fs/proc/vmcore.c
@@ -1370,9 +1370,8 @@ static void vmcoredd_write_header(void *buf, struct vmcoredd_data *data,
vdd_hdr->n_descsz = size + sizeof(vdd_hdr->dump_name);
vdd_hdr->n_type = NT_VMCOREDD;

- strncpy((char *)vdd_hdr->name, VMCOREDD_NOTE_NAME,
- sizeof(vdd_hdr->name));
- memcpy(vdd_hdr->dump_name, data->dump_name, sizeof(vdd_hdr->dump_name));
+ strtomem_pad(vdd_hdr->name, VMCOREDD_NOTE_NAME, 0);
+ strtomem_pad(vdd_hdr->dump_name, data->dump_name, 0);
}

/**
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/vmcore.h b/include/uapi/linux/vmcore.h
index 3e9da91866ff..7053e2b62fa0 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/vmcore.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/vmcore.h
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ struct vmcoredd_header {
__u32 n_namesz; /* Name size */
__u32 n_descsz; /* Content size */
__u32 n_type; /* NT_VMCOREDD */
- __u8 name[8]; /* LINUX\0\0\0 */
- __u8 dump_name[VMCOREDD_MAX_NAME_BYTES]; /* Device dump's name */
+ __u8 name[8] __nonstring; /* LINUX\0\0\0 */
+ __u8 dump_name[VMCOREDD_MAX_NAME_BYTES] __nonstring; /* Device dump's name */
};

#endif /* _UAPI_VMCORE_H */

---
base-commit: 928a87efa42302a23bb9554be081a28058495f22
change-id: 20240327-strncpy-fs-proc-vmcore-c-b18d761feaef

Best regards,
--
Justin Stitt <justinstitt@xxxxxxxxxx>