Re: [PATCH bpf] bpf: Zero-fill non-target CPU slots on BPF_F_CPU insert of new per-CPU element

From: Leon Hwang

Date: Tue Sep 29 2026 - 01:05:03 EST


On 29/9/26 05:47, Ömer Mete Kaya wrote:
> pcpu_copy_value() with BPF_F_CPU copies the value only to the target
> CPU's slot and returns immediately, leaving all other CPUs untouched.
> When inserting a *new* element, the backing per-CPU area may be reused
> from bpf_mem_cache or a prealloc freelist without being zero-initialized,
> so non-target CPUs retain stale contents of a previously-deleted
> element in the same map — a same-map information disclosure.
>
> pcpu_init_value() is used to initialize newly allocated elements, while
> updates to existing elements call pcpu_copy_value() directly; non-target
> CPU slots intentionally retain their previous values there.
>
> The onallcpus=false path in pcpu_init_value() already handles new
> element initialization correctly by explicitly zeroing non-current CPUs:
>
> if (cpu == current_cpu)
> copy_map_value(..., value);
> else
> zero_map_value(...);
>
> Fix by adding a zero-fill pass in pcpu_init_value() after
> pcpu_copy_value() returns, covering only the BPF_F_CPU new-element
> path: iterate all CPUs and zero-fill every slot except the target.
> This leaves pcpu_copy_value() unchanged so the update-existing-element
> semantics are not affected.
>
> Fixes: c6936161fd55 ("bpf: Add BPF_F_CPU and BPF_F_ALL_CPUS flags support for percpu_hash and lru_percpu_hash maps")
> Signed-off-by: Ömer Mete Kaya <omermetekaya0@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> Tested with a reproducer:
> - Before the fix: CPU 1 retained 0xDEADBEEFCAFEBABE from the deleted
> element.
> - After the fix: the non-target CPU read back zero.

Could you add a selftest to prove the issue?

You said a reproducer. But, I don't know what it looks like.

>
> kernel/bpf/hashtab.c | 10 ++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c b/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
> index 8cc07e54daaa..dff4321f2828 100644
> --- a/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
> +++ b/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
> @@ -1099,6 +1099,16 @@ static void pcpu_init_value(struct bpf_htab *htab, void __percpu *pptr,
> }
> } else {
> pcpu_copy_value(htab, pptr, value, onallcpus, map_flags);
> + if (map_flags & BPF_F_CPU) {
> + int target = map_flags >> 32;
> + int cpu;
> +
> + for_each_possible_cpu(cpu) {

But wait, the 'map_flags & BPF_F_CPU' has been check in the first 'if
()' condition in pcpu_init_value(). See the previous fix:
https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260924102321.2120434-1-donggeunyoo.kernel@xxxxxxxxx/

Thanks,
Leon

> + if (cpu != target)
> + zero_map_value(&htab->map,
> + per_cpu_ptr(pptr, cpu));
> + }
> + }
> }
> }
>
> --
> 2.55.0