[PATCH net v2] can: can327: Fix out-of-bounds write in can327_parse_frame()
From: Baul Lee
Date: Tue Aug 18 2026 - 18:18:35 EST
can327_parse_frame() assigns the CAN payload length from the DLC nibble
of the adapter's ASCII frame line, hex_to_bin(elm->rxbuf[datastart - 2]),
without validating it. A standard-format line only has to satisfy
rxbuf[3] == ' ' and rxbuf[5] == ' ', so the DLC nibble rxbuf[4] can be a
space, for which hex_to_bin() returns -1, and that becomes 255 in the u8
frame->len. A hex nibble of 9 to f is not rejected either, while
CAN_MAX_DLEN is 8.
frame->data[] is the 8-byte payload of the 16-byte struct can_frame
returned by alloc_can_skb(), so the data-nibble loop writes up to 255
device-controlled bytes, 247 of them past the frame and over the
trailing skb_shared_info. The length check before the loop only requires
the line to be frame->len * 3 + datastart bytes, which a long enough
line of hex and spaces satisfies. Freeing the corrupted skb then faults:
pc : skb_release_data+0xf4/0x200
Call trace:
skb_release_data+0xf4/0x200 (P)
sk_skb_reason_drop+0x40/0xa4
can_rcv+0x6c/0xbc
__netif_receive_skb_one_core+0x40/0x4c
can327_ldisc_rx+0xc8/0x140
tty_ldisc_receive_buf+0x48/0x60
flush_to_ldisc+0xdc/0x1b0
Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops: Fatal exception in interrupt
Reject the line when the nibble is not a hex digit or exceeds
CAN_MAX_DLEN, as the parser already does for other malformed lines.
Attaching the N_CAN327 line discipline requires CAP_NET_ADMIN, but the
frame lines then come from the ELM327 device, so a malicious adapter
reaches this path with device-controlled data.
Discovered by XBOW, triaged by Baul Lee <baul.lee@xxxxxxxx>
Fixes: 43da2f07622f ("can: can327: CAN/ldisc driver for ELM327 based OBD-II adapters")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Baul Lee <baul.lee@xxxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Max Staudt <max@xxxxxxxxx>
---
v2: add Cc: stable and Max's Reviewed-by, as requested in review of v1
(https://lore.kernel.org/linux-can/20260818215029.47758-1-baul.lee@xxxxxxxx/).
No change to the code.
drivers/net/can/can327.c | 9 ++++++++-
1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/drivers/net/can/can327.c b/drivers/net/can/can327.c
index 90f5e35f3c8f..c76a6378d4d6 100644
--- a/drivers/net/can/can327.c
+++ b/drivers/net/can/can327.c
@@ -395,6 +395,7 @@ static int can327_parse_frame(struct can327 *elm, size_t len)
struct sk_buff *skb;
int hexlen;
int datastart;
+ int dlc;
int i;
lockdep_assert_held(&elm->lock);
@@ -460,7 +461,13 @@ static int can327_parse_frame(struct can327 *elm, size_t len)
*/
/* Read CAN data length */
- frame->len = (hex_to_bin(elm->rxbuf[datastart - 2]) << 0);
+ dlc = hex_to_bin(elm->rxbuf[datastart - 2]);
+ if (dlc < 0 || dlc > CAN_MAX_DLEN) {
+ /* Not a hex digit, or more than CAN_MAX_DLEN bytes. */
+ kfree_skb(skb);
+ return -ENODATA;
+ }
+ frame->len = dlc;
/* Read CAN ID */
if (frame->can_id & CAN_EFF_FLAG) {
--
2.50.1