Re: [PATCH net v2 1/2] ipv6: serialize address publication with device teardown

From: netdev-bot+sashiko

Date: Mon Oct 05 2026 - 14:40:19 EST


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- [High] The patch leaves a teardown race open that leaks a reference and
has the same symptom it sets out to fix.

--

ipv6: serialize address publication with device teardown

This patch takes idev->lock around the write of idev->dead in
addrconf_ifdown(). In ipv6_add_addr() it holds idev->lock across both the
hash and the device-list publication, and rechecks dead and disable_ipv6
before publishing. The goal is to stop an address being published on a
dead idev, which leaks references and makes device deletion hang.

> diff --git a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
> index c90ee6dd7446c..426739abb0744 100644
> --- a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
> +++ b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
> @@ -1168,14 +1168,20 @@ ipv6_add_addr(struct inet6_dev *idev, struct ifa6_config *cfg,
>
> rcu_read_lock();
>
> - err = ipv6_add_addr_hash(idev->dev, ifa);
> + write_lock_bh(&idev->lock);
> +
> + if (idev->dead)
> + err = -ENODEV;
> + else if (READ_ONCE(idev->cnf.disable_ipv6))
> + err = -EACCES;
> + else
> + err = ipv6_add_addr_hash(idev->dev, ifa);
> if (err < 0) {
> + write_unlock_bh(&idev->lock);
> rcu_read_unlock();
> goto out;
> }
>
> - write_lock_bh(&idev->lock);
> -
> /* Add to inet6_dev unicast addr list. */
> ipv6_link_dev_addr(idev, ifa);
>

[Severity: High]
Can the same kind of leak still happen for temporary addresses after this
change?

The new critical section ends in ipv6_add_addr() once the address is on the
hash, addr_list and tempaddr_list:

net/ipv6/addrconf.c:ipv6_add_addr() {
...
in6_ifa_hold(ifa);
write_unlock_bh(&idev->lock);

rcu_read_unlock();

inet6addr_notifier_call_chain(NETDEV_UP, ifa);
...
}

The ifp reference held by ipv6_create_tempaddr() is handed to the new
address only after ipv6_add_addr() returns:

net/ipv6/addrconf.c:ipv6_create_tempaddr() {
...
ift = ipv6_add_addr(idev, &cfg, block, NULL);
...
spin_lock_bh(&ift->lock);
ift->ifpub = ifp;
ift->cstamp = now;
...
addrconf_dad_start(ift);
in6_ifa_put(ift);
...
}

On the RA path, ipv6_create_tempaddr() runs in softirq without RTNL:

ndisc_router_discovery()
addrconf_prefix_rcv()
addrconf_prefix_rcv_add_addr()
manage_tempaddrs()
ipv6_create_tempaddr(ifp, false)

Meanwhile, addrconf_notify() handles NETDEV_CHANGEMTU with
dev->mtu < IPV6_MIN_MTU by calling addrconf_ifdown(dev, true). The device
is still up and keeps receiving RAs. This is the same trigger the commit
message cites.

Suppose addrconf_ifdown() takes idev->lock right after ipv6_add_addr()
drops it. It sets dead, and the new recheck can't help because the address
is already published. Step 3 then sees ift on tempaddr_list with ifpub
still NULL, so it has nothing to drop:

net/ipv6/addrconf.c:addrconf_ifdown() {
...
if (ifa->ifpub) {
in6_ifa_put(ifa->ifpub);
ifa->ifpub = NULL;
}
...
}

The rest of the loop marks ift DEAD, unlinks it and puts it. Then
ipv6_create_tempaddr() stores ifp in ift->ifpub. addrconf_dad_start() does
nothing because ift is DEAD, and in6_ifa_put(ift) drops the last reference.

inet6_ifa_finish_destroy() never releases ifpub. Only ipv6_del_addr() and
Step 3 of addrconf_ifdown() do, and only while the address is still on
tempaddr_list.

If so, the public ifp stays pinned. That pins its idev, and the idev pins
the net_device through dev_tracker. Later device deletion would then wait
forever in netdev_wait_allrefs_any(), which is the symptom described in the
commit message.

Would it make sense to set ifpub inside the idev->lock publication section,
for example by passing it into ipv6_add_addr()? Another option would be a
teardown or destroy path that releases an ifpub attached this late.

> @@ -3897,7 +3903,9 @@ static int addrconf_ifdown(struct net_device *dev, bool unregister)
> * Do not dev_put!
> */
> if (unregister) {
> + write_lock_bh(&idev->lock);
> WRITE_ONCE(idev->dead, 1);
> + write_unlock_bh(&idev->lock);
>
> /* protected by rtnl_lock */
> RCU_INIT_POINTER(dev->ip6_ptr, NULL);

--
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