Re: [PATCH] Fix for binary_sysctl() memory leak

[Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>]

On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:44:12 -0800
Michel Lespinasse <walken@google.com> wrote:

> binary_sysctl() calls sysctl_getname() which allocates from
> names_cache slab usin __getname()
> 
> The matching function to free the name is __putname(), and not
> putname() which should be used only to match getname() allocations.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Michel Lespinasse <walken@google.com>
> ---
>  kernel/sysctl_binary.c |    2 +-
>  1 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/sysctl_binary.c b/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> index e8bffbe..2ce1b30 100644
> --- a/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> +++ b/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> @@ -1354,7 +1354,7 @@ static ssize_t binary_sysctl(const int *name, int nlen,
>  
>  	fput(file);
>  out_putname:
> -	putname(pathname);
> +	__putname(pathname);
>  out:
>  	return result;
>  }

I think the patch is correct but the description is misleading?

I see no memory leak here.  Calling __putname() directly simply
bypasses some audit-related stuff.