[PATCH] dcache: fully initialize the inline name in __d_alloc()

From: Drif Abdelmalek Mohamed Said

Date: Sun Sep 13 2026 - 11:28:33 EST


syzbot reported:

BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in dentry_string_cmp fs/dcache.c:291 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in dentry_cmp fs/dcache.c:322 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in __d_lookup_rcu+0x37d/0x5e0 fs/dcache.c:2522

dentry_string_cmp fs/dcache.c:291 [inline]
dentry_cmp fs/dcache.c:322 [inline]
__d_lookup_rcu+0x37d/0x5e0 fs/dcache.c:2522
lookup_fast+0x194/0xa40 fs/namei.c:1854
lookup_fast_for_open fs/namei.c:4545 [inline]
open_last_lookups fs/namei.c:4579 [inline]
path_openat+0x9ef/0x6540 fs/namei.c:4856
do_file_open+0x2aa/0x680 fs/namei.c:4888
do_sys_openat2+0x17c/0x390 fs/open.c:1395
do_sys_open fs/open.c:1401 [inline]
__do_sys_openat fs/open.c:1417 [inline]
__se_sys_openat fs/open.c:1412 [inline]
__x64_sys_openat+0x240/0x300 fs/open.c:1412
x64_sys_call+0x2445/0x3ea0 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:258
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x15d/0x3c0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Uninit was stored to memory at:
copy_name fs/dcache.c:3031 [inline]
__d_move+0xd29/0x21f0 fs/dcache.c:3099
d_move+0x71/0xf0 fs/dcache.c:3147
vfs_rename+0x2619/0x2770 fs/namei.c:6085
filename_renameat2+0xa59/0x1230 fs/namei.c:6188
__do_sys_rename fs/namei.c:6232 [inline]
__se_sys_rename+0xc5/0x5c0 fs/namei.c:6228
__x64_sys_rename+0x78/0xb0 fs/namei.c:6228
x64_sys_call+0x329/0x3ea0 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:83
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63
do_syscall_64+0x15d/0x3c0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Uninit was created at:
slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:4617 [inline]
slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:4939 [inline]
kmem_cache_alloc_lru_noprof+0x376/0x1230 mm/s
__d_alloc+0x52/0x9f0 fs/dcache.c:1902
d_alloc+0x57/0x300 fs/dcache.c:1981
lookup_one_qstr_excl+0x19d/0x7a0 fs/namei.c:1806
__start_renaming+0x341/0x850 fs/namei.c:3888
filename_renameat2+0x625/0x1230 fs/namei.c:6163
__do_sys_rename fs/namei.c:6232 [inline]
__se_sys_rename+0xc5/0x5c0 fs/namei.c:6228
__x64_sys_rename+0x78/0xb0 fs/namei.c:6228
x64_sys_call+0x329/0x3ea0 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:83
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63
do_syscall_64+0x15d/0x3c0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

The race happens between a concurrent open() and rename() of the same
path. __d_alloc() initializes only the name itsel
of the inline buffer; the tail in between is left uninitialized.
copy_name(), called from rename(), copies the enti
including that uninitialized tail - into the moved dentry. Meanwhile
__d_lookup_rcu(), called from open(), is an optimi
it checks d_name.hash_len first and leaves the seqcount retry to its
caller, so a lookup of the old (longer) name racin
compares with a stale length. While copy_name() is rewriting the name
in place, the walker can transiently step past the
terminating NUL and read bytes from the uninitialized tail, which KMSAN
reports.

The race is benign by design - the read stays in bounds and the lookup
result is discarded by the seqcount retry - but th
is real. Fix it by zeroing the entire inline buffer in __d_alloc(),
so every byte a racy walker can touch is defined;
past a mid-rewrite name now simply stops at a NUL.

Reported-by: syzbot+7ff3adde89dd795ad4c4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=7ff3adde89dd795ad4c4
Signed-off-by: Drif Abdelmalek Mohamed Said <drifabdelmalekmohamedsaid@xxxxxxxxx>
---
fs/dcache.c | 15 ++++++++++-----
1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/dcache.c b/fs/dcache.c
index 1b1a81f10da6..2de1bc76dc8e 100644
--- a/fs/dcache.c
+++ b/fs/dcache.c
@@ -1910,12 +1910,17 @@ static struct dentry *__d_alloc(struct super_block *sb, const struct qstr *name)
return NULL;

/*
- * We guarantee that the inline name is always NUL-terminated.
- * This way the memcpy() done by the name switching in rename
- * will still always have a NUL at the end, even if we might
- * be overwriting an internal NUL character
+ * Fully initialize the inline name buffer. copy_name() and
+ * swap_names() copy d_shortname in its entirety, so any
+ * uninitialized tail would propagate to the other dentry, and
+ * __d_lookup_rcu() may transiently read any byte of the inline
+ * name while rename() rewrites it in place.
+ *
+ * This also keeps the inline name NUL-terminated: the name
+ * switching in rename will still always have a NUL at the end,
+ * even if we might be overwriting an internal NUL character.
*/
- dentry->d_shortname.string[DNAME_INLINE_LEN-1] = 0;
+ memcpy(dentry->d_shortname.string, 0, DNAME_INLINE_LEN);
if (unlikely(!name)) {
name = &slash_name;
dname = dentry->d_shortname.string;
--
2.43.0