Re: [PATCH] usb: f_fs-aio-simple: add NULL checks for malloc calls
From: Greg KH
Date: Mon Aug 17 2026 - 02:34:44 EST
On Mon, Aug 17, 2026 at 02:27:56PM +0800, longlong yan wrote:
> Add NULL checks for the return values of malloc() in the aio_simple
> FFS example application. If any of the four malloc calls (buf_in,
> buf_out, iocb_in, iocb_out) fails, the subsequent code would
> dereference NULL pointers in the main loop.
>
> Since free(NULL) is safe, the error path frees all four buffers
> unconditionally, then cleans up the remaining resources (io context,
> endpoint file descriptors) consistent with the existing cleanup at
> the end of the function.
>
> Signed-off-by: longlong yan <yanlonglong@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> .../ffs-aio-example/simple/device_app/aio_simple.c | 13 +++++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/tools/usb/ffs-aio-example/simple/device_app/aio_simple.c b/tools/usb/ffs-aio-example/simple/device_app/aio_simple.c
> index 96616eb4600b..07ca1f136ad7 100644
> --- a/tools/usb/ffs-aio-example/simple/device_app/aio_simple.c
> +++ b/tools/usb/ffs-aio-example/simple/device_app/aio_simple.c
> @@ -294,6 +294,19 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
> iocb_in = malloc(sizeof(*iocb_in));
> iocb_out = malloc(sizeof(*iocb_out));
>
> + if (!buf_in || !buf_out || !iocb_in || !iocb_out) {
> + perror("malloc");
> + free(buf_in);
> + free(buf_out);
> + free(iocb_in);
> + free(iocb_out);
> + io_destroy(ctx);
> + for (i = 0; i < 2; ++i)
> + close(ep[i]);
> + close(ep0);
> + return 1;
> + }
It's userspace, why not just return an error and let the kernel clean up
the memory automatically?
Or better yet, just have a goto to jump to the end of the function where
all of this code already lives?
How did you find this problem? How was it tested?
thanks,
greg k-h