[PATCH 6.12] arp: do not assume dev_hard_header() does not change skb->head

From: Jay Wang

Date: Mon Jan 12 2026 - 13:50:13 EST


From: Eric Dumazet <edumazet@xxxxxxxxxx>

arp_create() is the only dev_hard_header() caller
making assumption about skb->head being unchanged.

A recent commit broke this assumption.

Initialize @arp pointer after dev_hard_header() call.

Fixes: db5b4e39c4e6 ("ip6_gre: make ip6gre_header() robust")
Reported-by: syzbot+58b44a770a1585795351@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Eric Dumazet <edumazet@xxxxxxxxxx>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260107212250.384552-1-edumazet@xxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Jay Wang <wanjay@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
net/ipv4/arp.c | 7 ++++---
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ipv4/arp.c b/net/ipv4/arp.c
index 8fb48f42581c..7822b2144514 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/arp.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/arp.c
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ struct sk_buff *arp_create(int type, int ptype, __be32 dest_ip,

skb_reserve(skb, hlen);
skb_reset_network_header(skb);
- arp = skb_put(skb, arp_hdr_len(dev));
+ skb_put(skb, arp_hdr_len(dev));
skb->dev = dev;
skb->protocol = htons(ETH_P_ARP);
if (!src_hw)
@@ -572,12 +572,13 @@ struct sk_buff *arp_create(int type, int ptype, __be32 dest_ip,
if (!dest_hw)
dest_hw = dev->broadcast;

- /*
- * Fill the device header for the ARP frame
+ /* Fill the device header for the ARP frame.
+ * Note: skb->head can be changed.
*/
if (dev_hard_header(skb, dev, ptype, dest_hw, src_hw, skb->len) < 0)
goto out;

+ arp = arp_hdr(skb);
/*
* Fill out the arp protocol part.
*
--
2.47.3