From: sashiko-bot@kernel.org
To: "Andrew Murray" <amurray@thegoodpenguin.co.uk>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-rt-devel@lists.linux.dev
Subject: Re: [PATCH v3 2/6] printk: add bounds checking to boot_delay
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:30:08 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260712103009.2071B1F000E9@smtp.kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260712-printkcleanup-v3-2-574547b8f71b@thegoodpenguin.co.uk>
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [High] The local variable `boot_delay_val` is read uninitialized when the `boot_delay` kernel parameter is passed without a value, leading to massive and unpredictable boot delays.
--
--- Patch [2]: [PATCH v3 2/6] printk: add bounds checking to boot_delay ---
commit d84630c2b1ca4df747144242cedfc7df2ff7c068
Author: Andrew Murray <amurray@thegoodpenguin.co.uk>
printk: add bounds checking to boot_delay
This commit changes the boot_delay parameter type to an unsigned int and
adds explicit bounds checking to ensure it remains within a valid range.
> diff --git a/kernel/printk/printk.c b/kernel/printk/printk.c
> index 31aabdf8248cc..8be562c9be277 100644
> --- a/kernel/printk/printk.c
> +++ b/kernel/printk/printk.c
[ ... ]
> static int __init boot_delay_setup(char *str)
> {
> unsigned long lpj;
> + int boot_delay_val;
>
> lpj = preset_lpj ? preset_lpj : 1000000; /* some guess */
> loops_per_msec = (unsigned long long)lpj / 1000 * HZ;
>
> - get_option(&str, &boot_delay);
> - if (boot_delay > 10 * 1000)
> - boot_delay = 0;
> + get_option(&str, &boot_delay_val);
> + if (boot_delay_val < 0 || boot_delay_val > 10 * 1000)
> + return 0;
> +
> + boot_delay = (unsigned int)boot_delay_val;
[Severity: High]
Does this code leave boot_delay_val uninitialized if get_option() returns
early?
When the boot_delay parameter is supplied without an assigned value (for
example, just passing "boot_delay" on the kernel command line), parse_args()
and do_early_param() pass a NULL string to boot_delay_setup().
In this scenario, get_option() returns 0 immediately without writing to
boot_delay_val.
If the uninitialized stack value happens to fall between 0 and 10000, it
gets assigned to the global boot_delay. Could this cause unexpected and
massive boot delays after every printk message?
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260712-printkcleanup-v3-0-574547b8f71b@thegoodpenguin.co.uk?part=2
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-07-12 10:30 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 11+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-07-12 10:20 [PATCH v3 0/6] printk: nbcon: deprecate boot_delay in favour of printk_delay Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 1/6] printk: sysctl: use unsigned int for printk_delay Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 2/6] printk: add bounds checking to boot_delay Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:30 ` sashiko-bot [this message]
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 3/6] printk: remove BOOT_PRINTK_DELAY config option Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 4/6] printk: deprecate boot_delay in favour of printk_delay Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 5/6] printk: nbcon: move printk_delay to console emiting code Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:31 ` sashiko-bot
2026-07-12 10:20 ` [PATCH v3 6/6] Documentation/kernel-parameters: add/update printk_delay/boot_delay Andrew Murray
2026-07-12 10:32 ` sashiko-bot
2026-07-14 21:51 ` Steven Rostedt
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