[PATCH] complete_signal: kill always-true "core_state || !SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT" check
From: Oleg Nesterov
Date: Sun Feb 22 2026 - 10:24:25 EST
The "(signal->core_state || !(signal->flags & SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT))" check
in complete_signal() is not obvious at all, and in fact it only adds
unnecessary confusion: this condition is always true.
prepare_signal() does:
if (signal->flags & SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT) {
if (signal->core_state)
return sig == SIGKILL;
/*
* The process is in the middle of dying, drop the signal.
*/
return false;
}
This means that "!signal->core_state && (signal->flags & SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT)"
in complete_signal() is never possible.
If SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT is set, prepare_signal() can only return true if
signal->core_state is not NULL.
Signed-off-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/signal.c | 4 +---
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/kernel/signal.c b/kernel/signal.c
index a56a4413699b..683ef92f7234 100644
--- a/kernel/signal.c
+++ b/kernel/signal.c
@@ -1000,9 +1000,7 @@ static void complete_signal(int sig, struct task_struct *p, enum pid_type type)
* Found a killable thread. If the signal will be fatal,
* then start taking the whole group down immediately.
*/
- if (sig_fatal(p, sig) &&
- (signal->core_state || !(signal->flags & SIGNAL_GROUP_EXIT)) &&
- !sigismember(&t->real_blocked, sig) &&
+ if (sig_fatal(p, sig) && !sigismember(&t->real_blocked, sig) &&
(sig == SIGKILL || !p->ptrace)) {
/*
* This signal will be fatal to the whole group.
--
2.52.0