[PATCH v2 1/2] drivers/of: validate live-tree string properties before string use

From: Pengpeng Hou

Date: Fri Apr 17 2026 - 01:28:01 EST


`populate_properties()` stores live-tree property values as raw byte
sequences plus a separate `length`. They are not globally guaranteed to
be NUL-terminated.

`of_prop_next_string()` iterates string-list properties by walking raw
bytes, `__of_node_is_type()` checks `device_type`,
`__of_device_is_status()` checks `status`, and
`of_alias_from_compatible()` reads the first `compatible` entry. These
paths must validate that the relevant string fits within the property
bounds before they hand it to C string helpers.

Validate these live-tree string properties within their declared bounds.
In particular, make `of_prop_next_string()` reject malformed entries
before returning them, use `of_property_match_string()` for
`device_type`, and add unit coverage for malformed first and trailing
string-list entries.

Signed-off-by: Pengpeng Hou <pengpeng@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes since v1:
- use of_property_match_string() for device_type as suggested by
Rob Herring
- rework of_prop_next_string() so the first returned string is validated
through the same bounded path
- add of_unittest_property_string() coverage for malformed first and
trailing string-list entries

drivers/of/base.c | 36 ++++++++++++----------
drivers/of/property.c | 27 +++++++++++++++++-----
drivers/of/unittest.c | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3 files changed, 72 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/of/base.c b/drivers/of/base.c
index 57420806c1a2..96e4d7a7d5b8 100644
--- a/drivers/of/base.c
+++ b/drivers/of/base.c
@@ -82,9 +82,10 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(of_node_name_prefix);

static bool __of_node_is_type(const struct device_node *np, const char *type)
{
- const char *match = __of_get_property(np, "device_type", NULL);
+ if (!np || !type)
+ return false;

- return np && match && type && !strcmp(match, type);
+ return of_property_match_string(np, "device_type", type) == 0;
}

#define EXCLUDED_DEFAULT_CELLS_PLATFORMS ( \
@@ -491,22 +492,22 @@ static bool __of_device_is_status(const struct device_node *device,
return false;

status = __of_get_property(device, "status", &statlen);
- if (status == NULL)
+ if (!status || statlen <= 0)
+ return false;
+ if (strnlen(status, statlen) >= statlen)
return false;

- if (statlen > 0) {
- while (*strings) {
- unsigned int len = strlen(*strings);
+ while (*strings) {
+ unsigned int len = strlen(*strings);

- if ((*strings)[len - 1] == '-') {
- if (!strncmp(status, *strings, len))
- return true;
- } else {
- if (!strcmp(status, *strings))
- return true;
- }
- strings++;
+ if ((*strings)[len - 1] == '-') {
+ if (!strncmp(status, *strings, len))
+ return true;
+ } else {
+ if (!strcmp(status, *strings))
+ return true;
}
+ strings++;
}

return false;
@@ -1217,10 +1218,11 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(of_find_matching_node_and_match);
int of_alias_from_compatible(const struct device_node *node, char *alias, int len)
{
const char *compatible, *p;
- int cplen;
+ int ret;

- compatible = of_get_property(node, "compatible", &cplen);
- if (!compatible || strlen(compatible) > cplen)
+ ret = of_property_read_string_index(node, "compatible", 0,
+ &compatible);
+ if (ret)
return -ENODEV;
p = strchr(compatible, ',');
strscpy(alias, p ? p + 1 : compatible, len);
diff --git a/drivers/of/property.c b/drivers/of/property.c
index 50d95d512bf5..e97bfe357808 100644
--- a/drivers/of/property.c
+++ b/drivers/of/property.c
@@ -648,16 +648,31 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(of_prop_next_u32);

const char *of_prop_next_string(const struct property *prop, const char *cur)
{
- const void *curv = cur;
+ const char *curv;
+ const char *end;
+ size_t len;

- if (!prop)
+ if (!prop || !prop->value || !prop->length)
return NULL;

- if (!cur)
- return prop->value;
+ curv = cur ? cur : prop->value;
+ end = prop->value + prop->length;

- curv += strlen(cur) + 1;
- if (curv >= prop->value + prop->length)
+ if (curv < (const char *)prop->value || curv >= end)
+ return NULL;
+
+ if (cur) {
+ len = strnlen(curv, end - curv);
+ if (len >= end - curv)
+ return NULL;
+
+ curv += len + 1;
+ if (curv >= end)
+ return NULL;
+ }
+
+ len = strnlen(curv, end - curv);
+ if (len >= end - curv)
return NULL;

return curv;
diff --git a/drivers/of/unittest.c b/drivers/of/unittest.c
index 29402958f11c..ee53363dfa84 100644
--- a/drivers/of/unittest.c
+++ b/drivers/of/unittest.c
@@ -713,6 +713,7 @@ static void __init of_unittest_parse_phandle_with_args_map(void)
static void __init of_unittest_property_string(void)
{
const char *strings[4];
+ const struct property *prop;
struct device_node *np;
int rc;

@@ -789,6 +790,37 @@ static void __init of_unittest_property_string(void)
strings[1] = NULL;
rc = of_property_read_string_array(np, "phandle-list-names", strings, 1);
unittest(rc == 1 && strings[1] == NULL, "Overwrote end of string array; rc=%i, str='%s'\n", rc, strings[1]);
+
+ /* of_prop_next_string() tests */
+ prop = of_find_property(np, "phandle-list-names", NULL);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, NULL);
+ unittest(strings[0] && !strcmp(strings[0], "first"),
+ "of_prop_next_string() failure; got '%s'\n", strings[0]);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, strings[0]);
+ unittest(strings[0] && !strcmp(strings[0], "second"),
+ "of_prop_next_string() failure; got '%s'\n", strings[0]);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, strings[0]);
+ unittest(strings[0] && !strcmp(strings[0], "third"),
+ "of_prop_next_string() failure; got '%s'\n", strings[0]);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, strings[0]);
+ unittest(!strings[0],
+ "of_prop_next_string() should return NULL at end of list\n");
+
+ prop = of_find_property(np, "unterminated-string", NULL);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, NULL);
+ unittest(!strings[0],
+ "of_prop_next_string() should reject unterminated first string\n");
+
+ prop = of_find_property(np, "unterminated-string-list", NULL);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, NULL);
+ unittest(strings[0] && !strcmp(strings[0], "first"),
+ "of_prop_next_string() failure; got '%s'\n", strings[0]);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, strings[0]);
+ unittest(strings[0] && !strcmp(strings[0], "second"),
+ "of_prop_next_string() failure; got '%s'\n", strings[0]);
+ strings[0] = of_prop_next_string(prop, strings[0]);
+ unittest(!strings[0],
+ "of_prop_next_string() should reject unterminated trailing string\n");
}

#define propcmp(p1, p2) (((p1)->length == (p2)->length) && \
--
2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)