bpf: Fix vmlinux BTF prep race in bpf_get_btf_vmlinux

Browse source

bpf_get_btf_vmlinux() lazily parses the vmlinux BTF under the
bpf_verifier_lock, but publishes the result through a plain store
and re-checks it through a plain lockless load. Nothing orders
the stores initializing the struct btf inside btf_parse_vmlinux()
against the store publishing the pointer: On a weakly ordered
arch, a concurrent first-time caller taking the lockless fast
path could in principle observe the pointer before the parsed
contents are visible. The mutex_unlock() does not help such a
reader given it only synchronizes with a later acquisition of the
same lock. Thus, publish the pointer with smp_store_release()
and read it on the fast path with smp_load_acquire().

Acquire semantics are needed rather than a dependency-ordered
READ_ONCE(): btf_parse_vmlinux() also populates globals outside
the returned object (e.g. bpf_ctx_convert.t). An address
dependency would only order accesses performed through the
pointer and not cover other globals.

Fixes: 8580ac9404 ("bpf: Process in-kernel BTF")
Signed-off-by: Daniel Borkmann <daniel@iogearbox.net>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260708211537.371874-2-daniel@iogearbox.net
Signed-off-by: Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi <memxor@gmail.com>

...

This commit is contained in:

Daniel Borkmann 2026-07-08 23:15:34 +02:00 • committed by Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi

parent 41ec7e4a17

commit 92863e6780

No known key found for this signature in database

GPG key ID: 472D377B63542F83

1 changed files with 16 additions and 4 deletions

Show all changes Ignore whitespace when comparing lines Ignore changes in amount of whitespace Ignore changes in whitespace at EOL

Download patch file Download diff file Expand all files Collapse all files

20

kernel/bpf/verifier.c

View file