[PATCH bpf] bpf, lsm: Mark backing_file_alloc/free LSM hooks as untrusted
From: Sergei Nizovtsev
Date: Wed Nov 11 2026 - 15:42:05 EST
The backing_file_alloc and backing_file_free LSM hooks get the backing
file as "struct file *backing_file", but its f_path is not populated
while they run:
- security_backing_file_alloc() is called from init_backing_file() in
alloc_empty_backing_file(), before vfs_open() sets f_path, so
backing_file->f_path.dentry is NULL;
- security_backing_file_free() can run for a backing file whose open
failed and whose f_path was already cleared.
Neither hook is listed in untrusted_lsm_hooks, so bpf_lsm_is_trusted()
lets BPF LSM programs use the argument as a trusted pointer. A program
attached to lsm/backing_file_alloc can pass &backing_file->f_path to the
trusted-args kfunc bpf_path_d_path(), and d_path() dereferences the NULL
dentry on the first open of a file on overlayfs:
extern int bpf_path_d_path(const struct path *path, char *buf,
size_t sz) __ksym;
char buf[256];
SEC("lsm/backing_file_alloc")
int BPF_PROG(poc, struct file *backing_file,
const struct file *user_file)
{
bpf_path_d_path(&backing_file->f_path, buf, sizeof(buf));
return 0;
}
# bpftool prog load poc.bpf.o /sys/fs/bpf/poc autoattach
# cat <any file on an overlayfs mount>
Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc000000000c: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000060-0x0000000000000067]
RIP: 0010:d_path+0xb4/0x810
Call Trace:
bpf_path_d_path+0x26/0x70
bpf_prog_f8f2e241d4ff7217_poc+0x33/0x37
bpf_trampoline_6442521065+0x61/0xf9
security_backing_file_alloc+0x78/0xe0
alloc_empty_backing_file+0xf0/0x170
backing_file_open+0xfd/0x290
ovl_open_realfile+0x1ed/0x270
ovl_open+0x1a9/0x2f0
do_dentry_open+0x404/0x1280
vfs_open_consume+0xba/0x4b0
path_openat+0xc4f/0x1f60
Add both hooks to untrusted_lsm_hooks, next to file_alloc_security and
file_free_security, which are listed there for the same reason. The
program above is then rejected at load time with "R1 must be referenced
or trusted".
Fixes: 6af36aeb147a ("lsm: add backing_file LSM hooks")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-fable-5-2
Signed-off-by: Sergei Nizovtsev <snizovtsev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Tested on bpf.git master (475a0cfd02f1) under virtme-ng with KASAN: the
reproducer oopses without the patch and fails to load with it. Only the
backing_file_alloc case was reproduced; backing_file_free is from code
reading.
kernel/bpf/bpf_lsm.c | 2 ++
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
diff --git a/kernel/bpf/bpf_lsm.c b/kernel/bpf/bpf_lsm.c
index f58dce888ff4a..f39a3766f2245 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/bpf_lsm.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/bpf_lsm.c
@@ -411,6 +411,8 @@ BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_bpf_map_free)
BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_bpf_prog_free)
BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_file_alloc_security)
BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_file_free_security)
+BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_backing_file_alloc)
+BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_backing_file_free)
#ifdef CONFIG_SECURITY_NETWORK
BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_sk_alloc_security)
BTF_ID(func, bpf_lsm_sk_free_security)
--
2.56.0