[PATCH net v3 0/2] genetlink: fix joining multicast groups no family owns
From: Anil Kaushik
Date: Sun Nov 01 2026 - 05:14:17 EST
genl_bind() checks the GENL_MCAST_CAP_* flags of a group, but the
membership bit is set later, after the lock is dropped. A socket can end
up a member of a group whose flags were never checked for it: when it
joins a group ID that no family owns, or when the family of the group is
unregistered between the check and the point where the bit is set.
Patch 1 rejects joins to group IDs that no family owns. Patch 2 counts,
per group, how many times its members were cleared, which genetlink does
when a family is unregistered. If the count changed after the check, the
group is checked again against its current owner.
Tested as an unprivileged user, with an msleep() added after the bind
callback in netlink_setsockopt() and netlink_bind(), and a test family
that registers again with GENL_MCAST_CAP_NET_ADMIN:
patch 1 only v3
setsockopt:
unregister in the window,
register later member not member
unregister and register in the window member not member
another family unregistered
(must still join) member member
bind():
unregister and register in the window member not member
The test family counts its bind and unbind callbacks: they stay
balanced with v3. Normal joins, rtnetlink bind() and lockdep show no
change.
The test from v1 (join all free IDs, then load gtp and drop_monitor)
gives the same result as before.
I used an LLM to help write and review the code, the tests and the
commit messages of this series. I checked and tested every change
myself.
Changes in v3:
- Patch 2: check the group again in af_netlink.c instead of clearing
the members when a family registers. This also covers the case where
the family is unregistered and another one registers, both in the
window, does not walk the sockets on every registration, and does not
touch the members of a group another family still owns (Sashiko).
- Fixes: tag of both patches: the race exists since genl_bind() first
checked a capability, in 4d54cc32112d (Sashiko).
Changes in v2:
- New patch 2 (Sashiko).
- Patch 1: no change, added Reviewed-by tags.
v2: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20261031054632.3697295-1-anilkaushikwireless@xxxxxxxxx/
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20261029062214.3407223-1-anilkaushikwireless@xxxxxxxxx/
Anil Kaushik (2):
genetlink: Reject joining multicast groups no family owns
netlink: Check a group again if it was released while joining it
net/netlink/af_netlink.c | 61 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
net/netlink/af_netlink.h | 1 +
net/netlink/genetlink.c | 3 +-
3 files changed, 63 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
--
2.25.1