[PATCH v2 1/3] wifi: cfg80211: validate rx/tx MLME callback frame lengths before access

[Zhao Li]

cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt() and cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt() call tracepoints
before rejecting frames shorter than the frame-control field. After
that, they only require len >= 2 before dispatching into subtype
handlers that assume their fixed fields are present.

The frames that trip this are not shorter than 2 bytes; they are short
relative to their subtype. mwifiex is a concrete in-tree example on the
length side: mwifiex_process_mgmt_packet() only requires a 4-address
ieee80211_hdr plus the 2-byte firmware length prefix before handing the
frame to cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt(). After stripping the length prefix and
removing addr4, pkt_len can be exactly 24: a bare 3-address management
header with no reason-code body. The existing WARN_ON(len < 2) does not
fire on such a frame, and cfg80211_process_deauth() then reads
u.deauth.reason_code as a two-byte access starting at offset 24,
immediately past the 24-byte buffer.

Add a frame-control length gate, then validate each subtype's minimum
frame size in an if/else-if chain that mirrors the dispatch logic. Trace
only after the frame is known to be well-formed.

Side effects of this change:
 - The WARN_ON(len < 2) is dropped. It only guarded the frame_control
   read, never the subtype fixed fields, and it does not fire on the
   frames that actually trigger the out-of-bounds read (which are >= 2).
   The len >= 2 check is kept as the guard before dereferencing
   frame_control, but without the warning: these are exported callbacks
   and a malformed frame from a driver should be dropped silently rather
   than backtraced.
 - cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt() previously routed every non-deauth subtype
   through disassociation handling; it now silently ignores unrecognised
   subtypes.

Assisted-by: Codex:gpt-5.5
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4.8
Signed-off-by: Zhao Li <enderaoelyther@xxxxxxxxx>
---
v2: Rewrite the commit message. Drop the inaccurate claim that these
    callbacks "legitimately receive short frames" (< 2) from drivers;
    no in-tree caller passes len < 2. Document the concrete mwifiex
    header-only deauth/disassoc path that reaches the callback below the
    subtype minimum, and clarify why the WARN is dropped while the
    len >= 2 guard is kept. Per Johannes' review. No code change.

 net/wireless/mlme.c | 45 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------
 1 file changed, 37 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/wireless/mlme.c b/net/wireless/mlme.c
index bd72317c4964e..a0f7b08bfcc9c 100644
--- a/net/wireless/mlme.c
+++ b/net/wireless/mlme.c
@@ -150,19 +150,35 @@ void cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt(struct net_device *dev, const u8 *buf, size_t len)
 {
 	struct wireless_dev *wdev = dev->ieee80211_ptr;
 	struct ieee80211_mgmt *mgmt = (void *)buf;
+	__le16 fc;
 
 	lockdep_assert_wiphy(wdev->wiphy);
 
-	trace_cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt(dev, buf, len);
+	if (len < sizeof(fc))
+		return;
+
+	fc = mgmt->frame_control;
 
-	if (WARN_ON(len < 2))
+	if (ieee80211_is_auth(fc)) {
+		if (len < offsetofend(struct ieee80211_mgmt, u.auth.status_code))
+			return;
+	} else if (ieee80211_is_deauth(fc)) {
+		if (len < offsetofend(struct ieee80211_mgmt, u.deauth.reason_code))
+			return;
+	} else if (ieee80211_is_disassoc(fc)) {
+		if (len < offsetofend(struct ieee80211_mgmt, u.disassoc.reason_code))
+			return;
+	} else {
 		return;
+	}
+
+	trace_cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt(dev, buf, len);
 
-	if (ieee80211_is_auth(mgmt->frame_control))
+	if (ieee80211_is_auth(fc))
 		cfg80211_process_auth(wdev, buf, len);
-	else if (ieee80211_is_deauth(mgmt->frame_control))
+	else if (ieee80211_is_deauth(fc))
 		cfg80211_process_deauth(wdev, buf, len, false);
-	else if (ieee80211_is_disassoc(mgmt->frame_control))
+	else
 		cfg80211_process_disassoc(wdev, buf, len, false);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt);
@@ -215,15 +231,28 @@ void cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt(struct net_device *dev, const u8 *buf, size_t len,
 {
 	struct wireless_dev *wdev = dev->ieee80211_ptr;
 	struct ieee80211_mgmt *mgmt = (void *)buf;
+	__le16 fc;
 
 	lockdep_assert_wiphy(wdev->wiphy);
 
-	trace_cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt(dev, buf, len, reconnect);
+	if (len < sizeof(fc))
+		return;
 
-	if (WARN_ON(len < 2))
+	fc = mgmt->frame_control;
+
+	if (ieee80211_is_deauth(fc)) {
+		if (len < offsetofend(struct ieee80211_mgmt, u.deauth.reason_code))
+			return;
+	} else if (ieee80211_is_disassoc(fc)) {
+		if (len < offsetofend(struct ieee80211_mgmt, u.disassoc.reason_code))
+			return;
+	} else {
 		return;
+	}
+
+	trace_cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt(dev, buf, len, reconnect);
 
-	if (ieee80211_is_deauth(mgmt->frame_control))
+	if (ieee80211_is_deauth(fc))
 		cfg80211_process_deauth(wdev, buf, len, reconnect);
 	else
 		cfg80211_process_disassoc(wdev, buf, len, reconnect);
-- 
2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)