[PATCH net] ipv6: validate extension header length before copying to cmsg

From: Qi Tang

Date: Sun Apr 19 2026 - 11:04:13 EST


ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl() builds IPV6_{HOPOPTS,DSTOPTS,RTHDR}
cmsgs (and their IPV6_2292* legacy counterparts) by trusting the
on-wire hdrlen byte (ptr[1]) when computing the put_cmsg() length.
The length was validated only at parse time (ipv6_parse_hopopts(),
etc.). An nftables payload-write expression can rewrite hdrlen after
parsing and before the skb reaches recvmsg; the write itself is
in-bounds but put_cmsg() then reads up to ((hdrlen+1) << 3) = 2040
bytes from an 8-byte header. nftables is reachable from an unprivi-
leged user namespace, so this is an unprivileged slab-out-of-bounds
read:

BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in put_cmsg+0x3ac/0x540
put_cmsg+0x3ac/0x540
udpv6_recvmsg+0xca0/0x1250
sock_recvmsg+0xdf/0x190
____sys_recvmsg+0x1b1/0x620

Clamp each cmsg length against skb_tail_pointer(skb) before calling
put_cmsg(). Extension headers are kept in the linear skb area by
pskb_may_pull() during input, so skb_tail_pointer() is the correct
bound. The check is replicated at each call site (one HbH, four
RFC2292 sites, and four switch cases in the DSTOPTS/RTHDR/AH walk)
rather than hoisted out of the switch, to keep the fix minimal and
backportable; a follow-up cleanup can factor it out. In the walk
loop a failed check also aborts the walk, since subsequent offsets
depend on the tampered length.

Fixes: 1da177e4c3f4 ("Linux-2.6.12-rc2")
Signed-off-by: Qi Tang <tpluszz77@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/ipv6/datagram.c | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
1 file changed, 30 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ipv6/datagram.c b/net/ipv6/datagram.c
index ca3605acb..a7b9f5a24 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/datagram.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/datagram.c
@@ -643,7 +643,10 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
/* HbH is allowed only once */
if (np->rxopt.bits.hopopts && (opt->flags & IP6SKB_HOPBYHOP)) {
u8 *ptr = nh + sizeof(struct ipv6hdr);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_HOPOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 hbhlen = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+
+ if (ptr + hbhlen <= skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_HOPOPTS, hbhlen, ptr);
}

if (opt->lastopt &&
@@ -668,27 +671,37 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
case IPPROTO_DSTOPTS:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ if (ptr + len > skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ goto ext_hdr_done;
if (np->rxopt.bits.dstopts)
put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_DSTOPTS, len, ptr);
break;
case IPPROTO_ROUTING:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ if (ptr + len > skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ goto ext_hdr_done;
if (np->rxopt.bits.srcrt)
put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_RTHDR, len, ptr);
break;
case IPPROTO_AH:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
len = (ptr[1] + 2) << 2;
+ if (ptr + len > skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ goto ext_hdr_done;
break;
default:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ if (ptr + len > skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ goto ext_hdr_done;
break;
}

off += len;
}
+ext_hdr_done:
+ ;
}

/* socket options in old style */
@@ -705,19 +718,31 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.ohopopts && (opt->flags & IP6SKB_HOPBYHOP)) {
u8 *ptr = nh + sizeof(struct ipv6hdr);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292HOPOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 hbhlen = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+
+ if (ptr + hbhlen <= skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292HOPOPTS, hbhlen, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.odstopts && opt->dst0) {
u8 *ptr = nh + opt->dst0;
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 doptlen = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+
+ if (ptr + doptlen <= skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, doptlen, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.osrcrt && opt->srcrt) {
struct ipv6_rt_hdr *rthdr = (struct ipv6_rt_hdr *)(nh + opt->srcrt);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292RTHDR, (rthdr->hdrlen+1) << 3, rthdr);
+ u16 rtlen = (rthdr->hdrlen + 1) << 3;
+
+ if ((u8 *)rthdr + rtlen <= skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292RTHDR, rtlen, rthdr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.odstopts && opt->dst1) {
u8 *ptr = nh + opt->dst1;
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 doptlen = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+
+ if (ptr + doptlen <= skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, doptlen, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.rxorigdstaddr) {
struct sockaddr_in6 sin6;
--
2.47.3