[PATCH v2 00/13] libcrypto: Provide more __cleanup functions for zeroizing data

From: Thomas Huth

Date: Wed Sep 09 2026 - 08:17:04 EST


Code that uses crypto-related structures (containing keys or context data)
should zeroize their local structures on the stack after use to avoid
leaking this sensitive material via the stack when the function returns.
Using the __cleanup() marker is a very elegant way to assert that the
data is zeroized without having to painfully verify that each early return
in a function might miss it.

Thus this series introduces zeroization functions for many crypto-related
structures that can be used with __cleanup(). The series focuses on the
introduction of the functions - most call sights will be adjusted to use
these new functions in separate patch series later (since each subsystem
needs separate review from the corresponding maintainer).

Note there is one minor ugliness in the patch "Compile purgatory.c with
-D__NO_FORTIFY": Since sha2.h is also used in the x86 purgatory code,
and that code ships with its own implementation of string functions, we
have to compile the purgatory.c file with -D__NO_FORTIFY now to be able
to include <linux/string.h> in sha2.h. I hope that solution is OK
(especially since the sha256.c file in the same folder gets that treatment
already, too), if not - I'm certainly open for other suggestions here!

v2:
- Dropped some patches that have been picked up elsewhere already
- Merged the patches that introduce the zeroization functions and
that update the callsites in lib/crypto/ - I think reviewing is
easier this way
- Add more patches to zeroize structs that weren't handled in v1 yet
- Keep the kerneldoc comments simple and add a final patch for the
Documentation folder instead that describes the zeroization needs.

Thomas Huth (13):
lib/crypto: aes: Provide functions for zeroizing aes_key and
aes_enckey
lib/crypto: aes-xts: Provide function for zeroizing aes_xts_key
lib/crypto: aes-gcm: Provide functions for zeroizing aes_gcm*
structures
lib/crypto: aes-ccm: Provide functions for zeroizing aes_ccm*
structures
lib/crypto: md5: Provide a function for zeroizing hmac_md5 structures
lib/crypto: sm3: Provide a function for zeroizing the sm3_ctx
structure
lib/crypto: blake2: Provide functions for zeroizing blake2*_ctx
structures
lib/crypto: sha1: Provide functions for zeroizing hmac_sha1 structures
security: keys: trusted: always clear the hmac_sha1_ctx before
returning
x86/purgatory: Compile purgatory.c with -D__NO_FORTIFY
lib/crypto: sha2: Provide functions for zeroizing SHA2 hmac_sha*
structures
smb: client: Use hmac_sha256_zeroize_ctx function to clear
hmac_sha256_ctx
lib/crypto: Add documentation about zeroization of key and context
data

.../crypto/libcrypto-zeroization.rst | 129 ++++++++++++++++++
Documentation/crypto/libcrypto.rst | 1 +
arch/x86/purgatory/Makefile | 1 +
fs/smb/client/smb2transport.c | 3 +-
include/crypto/aes-ccm.h | 22 ++-
include/crypto/aes-gcm.h | 22 ++-
include/crypto/aes-xts.h | 13 +-
include/crypto/aes.h | 18 +++
include/crypto/blake2b.h | 9 ++
include/crypto/blake2s.h | 9 ++
include/crypto/md5.h | 19 +++
include/crypto/sha1.h | 19 +++
include/crypto/sha2.h | 73 ++++++++++
include/crypto/sm3.h | 9 ++
lib/crypto/aes.c | 28 ++--
lib/crypto/blake2b.c | 2 +-
lib/crypto/blake2s.c | 2 +-
lib/crypto/md5.c | 2 +-
lib/crypto/sha1.c | 2 +-
lib/crypto/sm3.c | 2 +-
security/keys/trusted-keys/trusted_tpm1.c | 2 +-
21 files changed, 357 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 Documentation/crypto/libcrypto-zeroization.rst

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2.55.0