[PATCH] ubd: Use pointer-to-pointers for io_thread_req arrays

From: Kees Cook

Date: Mon Feb 23 2026 - 16:46:49 EST


Having an unbounded array for irq_req_buffer and io_req_buffer doesn't
provide any bounds safety, and confuses the needed allocation type,
which is returning a pointer to pointers. Instead of the implicit cast,
switch the variable types.

Reported-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reported-by: Guenter Roeck <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/b04b6c13-7d0e-4a89-9e68-b572b6c686ac@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Fixes: 69050f8d6d07 ("treewide: Replace kmalloc with kmalloc_obj for non-scalar types")
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <kees@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Cc: Richard Weinberger <richard@xxxxxx>
Cc: Anton Ivanov <anton.ivanov@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Johannes Berg <johannes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jens Axboe <axboe@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Hannes Reinecke <hare@xxxxxxx>
Cc: "Martin K. Petersen" <martin.petersen@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Tiwei Bie <tiwei.btw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <linux-um@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/um/drivers/ubd_kern.c | 10 +++++-----
1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/um/drivers/ubd_kern.c b/arch/um/drivers/ubd_kern.c
index 012b2bcaa8a0..20fc33300a95 100644
--- a/arch/um/drivers/ubd_kern.c
+++ b/arch/um/drivers/ubd_kern.c
@@ -69,11 +69,11 @@ struct io_thread_req {
};


-static struct io_thread_req * (*irq_req_buffer)[];
+static struct io_thread_req **irq_req_buffer;
static struct io_thread_req *irq_remainder;
static int irq_remainder_size;

-static struct io_thread_req * (*io_req_buffer)[];
+static struct io_thread_req **io_req_buffer;
static struct io_thread_req *io_remainder;
static int io_remainder_size;

@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ static int thread_fd = -1;

static int bulk_req_safe_read(
int fd,
- struct io_thread_req * (*request_buffer)[],
+ struct io_thread_req **request_buffer,
struct io_thread_req **remainder,
int *remainder_size,
int max_recs
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ static irqreturn_t ubd_intr(int irq, void *dev)
&irq_remainder, &irq_remainder_size,
UBD_REQ_BUFFER_SIZE)) >= 0) {
for (i = 0; i < len / sizeof(struct io_thread_req *); i++)
- ubd_end_request((*irq_req_buffer)[i]);
+ ubd_end_request(irq_req_buffer[i]);
}

if (len < 0 && len != -EAGAIN)
@@ -1512,7 +1512,7 @@ void *io_thread(void *arg)
}

for (count = 0; count < n/sizeof(struct io_thread_req *); count++) {
- struct io_thread_req *req = (*io_req_buffer)[count];
+ struct io_thread_req *req = io_req_buffer[count];
int i;

io_count++;
--
2.34.1