[PATCHv2] uprobes: Use flexible array for xol_area bitmap

From: Rosen Penev

Date: Mon May 11 2026 - 18:57:27 EST


The XOL slot bitmap has the same lifetime as struct xol_area, but it
is currently allocated separately. That adds another allocation
failure path and a matching cleanup branch without buying any extra
flexibility.

Store the bitmap as a flexible array member and allocate it together
with the xol_area using kzalloc_flex(). The bitmap remains
zero-initialized, while the allocation and error handling become
simpler.

Assisted-by: Codex:GPT-5.5
Signed-off-by: Rosen Penev <rosenp@xxxxxxxxx>
---
v2: add missing kfree
kernel/events/uprobes.c | 14 +++-----------
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/events/uprobes.c b/kernel/events/uprobes.c
index 4084e926e284..eba71700667e 100644
--- a/kernel/events/uprobes.c
+++ b/kernel/events/uprobes.c
@@ -108,7 +108,6 @@ static LIST_HEAD(delayed_uprobe_list);
*/
struct xol_area {
wait_queue_head_t wq; /* if all slots are busy */
- unsigned long *bitmap; /* 0 = free slot */

struct page *page;
/*
@@ -117,6 +116,7 @@ struct xol_area {
* the vma go away, and we must handle that reasonably gracefully.
*/
unsigned long vaddr; /* Page(s) of instruction slots */
+ unsigned long bitmap[]; /* 0 = free slot */
};

static void uprobe_warn(struct task_struct *t, const char *msg)
@@ -1755,18 +1755,13 @@ static struct xol_area *__create_xol_area(unsigned long vaddr)
struct xol_area *area;
void *insns;

- area = kzalloc_obj(*area);
+ area = kzalloc_flex(*area, bitmap, BITS_TO_LONGS(UINSNS_PER_PAGE));
if (unlikely(!area))
goto out;

- area->bitmap = kcalloc(BITS_TO_LONGS(UINSNS_PER_PAGE), sizeof(long),
- GFP_KERNEL);
- if (!area->bitmap)
- goto free_area;
-
area->page = alloc_page(GFP_HIGHUSER | __GFP_ZERO);
if (!area->page)
- goto free_bitmap;
+ goto free_area;

area->vaddr = vaddr;
init_waitqueue_head(&area->wq);
@@ -1779,8 +1774,6 @@ static struct xol_area *__create_xol_area(unsigned long vaddr)
return area;

__free_page(area->page);
- free_bitmap:
- kfree(area->bitmap);
free_area:
kfree(area);
out:
@@ -1831,7 +1824,6 @@ void uprobe_clear_state(struct mm_struct *mm)
return;

put_page(area->page);
- kfree(area->bitmap);
kfree(area);
}

--
2.54.0