[PATCH v2 3/4] perf synthetic-events: Fix bounds, stale state, and misc flags in kernel module synthesis

From: Ian Rogers

Date: Mon Jul 20 2026 - 18:53:59 EST


Fix potential buffer overruns in perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb()
by safely clamping long DSO names to the mmap/mmap2 filename boundaries.
Explicitly assign and clear the misc flags and union padding across all
iterations to prevent stale Build-ID state from leaking between module
synthesis events.

Assisted-by: Antigravity:gemini-3.5-flash
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c | 70 +++++++++++++++++++++---------
1 file changed, 50 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
index 9a2b4d561e9e..068323b9510d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
@@ -754,6 +754,7 @@ struct perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb_args {
perf_event__handler_t process;
struct machine *machine;
union perf_event *event;
+ u16 misc;
};

static int perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb(struct map *map, void *data)
@@ -761,49 +762,78 @@ static int perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb(struct map *map, void *data)
struct perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb_args *args = data;
union perf_event *event = args->event;
struct dso *dso;
- size_t size;
+ size_t size, aligned_size;
+ int rc = 0;

if (!__map__is_kmodule(map))
return 0;

dso = map__dso(map);
if (!symbol_conf.no_buildid_mmap2) {
- size = PERF_ALIGN(dso__long_name_len(dso) + 1, sizeof(u64));
+ const char *long_name = dso__long_name(dso);
+
+ size = strlen(long_name);
+ if (size >= sizeof(event->mmap2.filename))
+ size = sizeof(event->mmap2.filename) - 1;
+
+ strlcpy(event->mmap2.filename, long_name,
+ sizeof(event->mmap2.filename));
+
+ aligned_size = PERF_ALIGN(size + 1, sizeof(u64));
event->mmap2.header.type = PERF_RECORD_MMAP2;
- event->mmap2.header.size = (sizeof(event->mmap2) -
- (sizeof(event->mmap2.filename) - size));
- memset(event->mmap2.filename + size, 0, args->machine->id_hdr_size);
+ event->mmap2.header.misc = args->misc;
+ event->mmap2.header.size =
+ offsetof(struct perf_record_mmap2, filename) +
+ aligned_size;
+
+ /* Zero the padding and ID header trailer safely! */
+ memset(event->mmap2.filename + size, 0,
+ (aligned_size - size) + args->machine->id_hdr_size);
+
event->mmap2.header.size += args->machine->id_hdr_size;
event->mmap2.start = map__start(map);
event->mmap2.len = map__size(map);
event->mmap2.pid = args->machine->pid;

- memcpy(event->mmap2.filename, dso__long_name(dso), dso__long_name_len(dso) + 1);
-
- /* Clear stale build ID from previous module iteration */
+ /* Clear stale build ID and entire union from previous module iteration */
event->mmap2.header.misc &= ~PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID;
memset(event->mmap2.build_id, 0, sizeof(event->mmap2.build_id));
event->mmap2.build_id_size = 0;
+ event->mmap2.__reserved_1 = 0;
+ event->mmap2.__reserved_2 = 0;

perf_record_mmap2__read_build_id(&event->mmap2, args->machine, false);
} else {
- size = PERF_ALIGN(dso__long_name_len(dso) + 1, sizeof(u64));
+ const char *long_name = dso__long_name(dso);
+
+ size = strlen(long_name);
+ if (size >= sizeof(event->mmap.filename))
+ size = sizeof(event->mmap.filename) - 1;
+
+ strlcpy(event->mmap.filename, long_name,
+ sizeof(event->mmap.filename));
+
+ aligned_size = PERF_ALIGN(size + 1, sizeof(u64));
event->mmap.header.type = PERF_RECORD_MMAP;
- event->mmap.header.size = (sizeof(event->mmap) -
- (sizeof(event->mmap.filename) - size));
- memset(event->mmap.filename + size, 0, args->machine->id_hdr_size);
+ event->mmap.header.misc = args->misc;
+ event->mmap.header.size =
+ offsetof(struct perf_record_mmap, filename) +
+ aligned_size;
+
+ /* Zero the padding and ID header trailer safely! */
+ memset(event->mmap.filename + size, 0,
+ (aligned_size - size) + args->machine->id_hdr_size);
+
event->mmap.header.size += args->machine->id_hdr_size;
event->mmap.start = map__start(map);
event->mmap.len = map__size(map);
event->mmap.pid = args->machine->pid;
-
- memcpy(event->mmap.filename, dso__long_name(dso), dso__long_name_len(dso) + 1);
}

if (perf_tool__process_synth_event(args->tool, event, args->machine, args->process) != 0)
- return -1;
+ rc = -1;

- return 0;
+ return rc;
}

int perf_event__synthesize_modules(const struct perf_tool *tool, perf_event__handler_t process,
@@ -828,13 +858,13 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_modules(const struct perf_tool *tool, perf_event__han
}

/*
- * kernel uses 0 for user space maps, see kernel/perf_event.c
- * __perf_event_mmap
+ * Just like the kernel, see perf_misc_flags() in
+ * kernel/events/core.c
*/
if (machine__is_host(machine))
- args.event->header.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_KERNEL;
+ args.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_KERNEL;
else
- args.event->header.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_GUEST_KERNEL;
+ args.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_GUEST_KERNEL;

rc = maps__for_each_map(maps, perf_event__synthesize_modules_maps_cb, &args);

--
2.55.0.229.g6434b31f56-goog