[PATCH net v3] ipv6: rpl: fix NULL dereference of idev in ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv()

From: Andrea Mayer

Date: Mon Aug 17 2026 - 09:36:24 EST


ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv() dereferences idev from __in6_dev_get() without a NULL
check when reading idev->cnf.rpl_seg_enabled.

When the device's MTU drops below IPV6_MIN_MTU, addrconf_ifdown() clears
dev->ip6_ptr through RCU_INIT_POINTER(). A packet that passed the idev
check in ip6_rcv_core() can then reach ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv() with
dev->ip6_ptr already NULL.

Reproduced by flooding the receiving interface with ping6 traffic while
flapping its MTU between 1500 and 1200:

BUG: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv+0xb3/0x1070
Read of size 4 at addr 00000000000006b4 by task ping6/394

CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 394 Comm: ping6 Not tainted 7.2.0-rc7-micro-vm-dev-00095-g24ef02f934ee #240 PREEMPT(full)
Call Trace:
<IRQ>
kasan_report+0xc6/0x100
ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv+0xb3/0x1070
ip6_protocol_deliver_rcu+0x759/0x9a0
ip6_input_finish+0xa8/0x1b0
ip6_input+0xe1/0x490
ipv6_rcv+0x33d/0x460
__netif_receive_skb_one_core+0xd6/0x130
process_backlog+0x2cc/0xa00
__napi_poll.constprop.0+0x56/0x270
net_rx_action+0x327/0x730
handle_softirqs+0x11e/0x630
do_softirq+0xb3/0xf0
</IRQ>

Both ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv() and ipv6_srh_rcv() are called only from
ipv6_rthdr_rcv(), which already has an idev lookup.

Fix the NULL dereference on the RPL path by checking idev in
ipv6_rthdr_rcv(), before it calls either function. The callees take idev as
an argument and no longer call __in6_dev_get(), so the packet is now
dropped in one place, with SKB_DROP_REASON_IPV6DISABLED on both paths.

Fixes: 8610c7c6e3bd ("net: ipv6: add support for rpl sr exthdr")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Andrea Mayer <andrea.mayer@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Tested-by: Xiang Mei <xmei5@xxxxxxx>
---
v3:
- move the idev NULL check into ipv6_rthdr_rcv() and use the same drop
reason on the seg6 and RPL paths (David Ahern)
- pass idev to ipv6_srh_rcv() and ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(), and check it for
NULL in ipv6_rthdr_rcv() only for the seg6 and RPL types
- add Xiang Mei's Tested-by tag
v2: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20260518140630.24280-1-andrea.mayer@xxxxxxxxxxx/
- use SKB_DROP_REASON_IPV6DISABLED as drop reason (Eric Dumazet)
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20260428224816.11223-1-andrea.mayer@xxxxxxxxxxx/
---
net/ipv6/exthdrs.c | 26 ++++++++++++--------------
1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ipv6/exthdrs.c b/net/ipv6/exthdrs.c
index 9c677eb1d1a6..51941ad656a3 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/exthdrs.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/exthdrs.c
@@ -368,23 +368,16 @@ static void seg6_update_csum(struct sk_buff *skb)
(__be32 *)addr);
}

-static int ipv6_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
+static int ipv6_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb, struct inet6_dev *idev)
{
struct inet6_skb_parm *opt = IP6CB(skb);
struct net *net = dev_net(skb->dev);
struct ipv6_sr_hdr *hdr;
- struct inet6_dev *idev;
struct in6_addr *addr;
int accept_seg6;

hdr = (struct ipv6_sr_hdr *)skb_transport_header(skb);

- idev = __in6_dev_get(skb->dev);
- if (!idev) {
- kfree_skb(skb);
- return -1;
- }
-
accept_seg6 = min(READ_ONCE(net->ipv6.devconf_all->seg6_enabled),
READ_ONCE(idev->cnf.seg6_enabled));

@@ -485,12 +478,11 @@ static int ipv6_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
return -1;
}

-static int ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
+static int ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb, struct inet6_dev *idev)
{
struct ipv6_rpl_sr_hdr *hdr, *ohdr, *chdr;
struct inet6_skb_parm *opt = IP6CB(skb);
struct net *net = dev_net(skb->dev);
- struct inet6_dev *idev;
struct ipv6hdr *oldhdr;
unsigned int chdr_len;
unsigned char *buf;
@@ -499,8 +491,6 @@ static int ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
u64 n = 0;
u32 r;

- idev = __in6_dev_get(skb->dev);
-
accept_rpl_seg = min(READ_ONCE(net->ipv6.devconf_all->rpl_seg_enabled),
READ_ONCE(idev->cnf.rpl_seg_enabled));
if (!accept_rpl_seg) {
@@ -689,10 +679,14 @@ static int ipv6_rthdr_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
switch (hdr->type) {
case IPV6_SRCRT_TYPE_4:
/* segment routing */
- return ipv6_srh_rcv(skb);
+ if (!idev)
+ goto disabled;
+ return ipv6_srh_rcv(skb, idev);
case IPV6_SRCRT_TYPE_3:
/* rpl segment routing */
- return ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(skb);
+ if (!idev)
+ goto disabled;
+ return ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv(skb, idev);
default:
break;
}
@@ -837,6 +831,10 @@ static int ipv6_rthdr_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb)
icmpv6_param_prob(skb, ICMPV6_HDR_FIELD,
(&hdr->type) - skb_network_header(skb));
return -1;
+
+disabled:
+ kfree_skb_reason(skb, SKB_DROP_REASON_IPV6DISABLED);
+ return -1;
}

static const struct inet6_protocol rthdr_protocol = {
--
2.43.0