[PATCH] perf synthetic-events: Fix schedstat event lifetime handling

[PATCH] perf synthetic-events: Fix schedstat event lifetime handling

[Hui Su]

perf_event__synthesize_schedstat() has two event lifetime issues.

After a successful iteration, event is freed but retains its value. If
the next iteration starts with an unrecognized schedstat record type,
neither synthesizer assigns a new value. The stale pointer then passes
the NULL check, may be passed to process(), and is freed again.

In addition, when user_requested_cpus filters out a synthesized event,
the continue path skips free(event), leaking the event.

Make event local to each loop iteration so it always starts as NULL.
Also avoid the filter continue and unconditionally free each synthesized
event at the end of the iteration.

Fixes: c3030995f23b ("perf sched stats: Add record and rawdump support")
Signed-off-by: Hui Su <sh_def@163.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c | 14 +++++++-------
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
index 0c150193cca8..2eac2310a01d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
@@ -2817,7 +2817,6 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 				     struct perf_cpu_map *user_requested_cpus)
 {
 	char *line = NULL, path[PATH_MAX];
-	union perf_event *event = NULL;
 	size_t line_len = 0;
 	char bf[BUFSIZ];
 	__u64 timestamp;
@@ -2858,6 +2857,7 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 	 * for filtered out cpus.
 	 */
 	for (ch = io__get_char(&io); !io.eof; ch = io__get_char(&io)) {
+		union perf_event *event = NULL;
 		struct perf_cpu this_cpu;
 
 		if (ch == 'c') {
@@ -2872,12 +2872,12 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 
 		this_cpu.cpu = cpu;
 
-		if (user_requested_cpus && !perf_cpu_map__has(user_requested_cpus, this_cpu))
-			continue;
-
-		if (process(tool, event, NULL, NULL) < 0) {
-			free(event);
-			goto out_free_line;
+		if (!user_requested_cpus ||
+		    perf_cpu_map__has(user_requested_cpus, this_cpu)) {
+			if (process(tool, event, NULL, NULL) < 0) {
+				free(event);
+				goto out_free_line;
+			}
 		}
 
 		free(event);
-- 
2.55.0

Re: [PATCH] perf synthetic-events: Fix schedstat event lifetime handling

[sashiko-bot]

> perf_event__synthesize_schedstat() has two event lifetime issues.
> 
> After a successful iteration, event is freed but retains its value. If
> the next iteration starts with an unrecognized schedstat record type,
> neither synthesizer assigns a new value. The stale pointer then passes
> the NULL check, may be passed to process(), and is freed again.
> 
> In addition, when user_requested_cpus filters out a synthesized event,
> the continue path skips free(event), leaking the event.
> 
> Make event local to each loop iteration so it always starts as NULL.
> Also avoid the filter continue and unconditionally free each synthesized
> event at the end of the iteration.
> 
> Fixes: c3030995f23b ("perf sched stats: Add record and rawdump support")
> Signed-off-by: Hui Su <sh_def@163.com>

Sashiko has reviewed this patch and found no issues. It looks great!

-- 
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260912055619.2284443-1-sh_def@163.com?part=1

Re: [PATCH] perf synthetic-events: Fix schedstat event lifetime handling

[Ian Rogers]

On Fri, Sep 11, 2026 at 10:56 PM Hui Su <sh_def@163.com> wrote:
>
> perf_event__synthesize_schedstat() has two event lifetime issues.
>
> After a successful iteration, event is freed but retains its value. If
> the next iteration starts with an unrecognized schedstat record type,
> neither synthesizer assigns a new value. The stale pointer then passes
> the NULL check, may be passed to process(), and is freed again.
>
> In addition, when user_requested_cpus filters out a synthesized event,
> the continue path skips free(event), leaking the event.
>
> Make event local to each loop iteration so it always starts as NULL.
> Also avoid the filter continue and unconditionally free each synthesized
> event at the end of the iteration.
>
> Fixes: c3030995f23b ("perf sched stats: Add record and rawdump support")
> Signed-off-by: Hui Su <sh_def@163.com>

Reviewed-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>

Thanks!
Ian

> ---
>  tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c | 14 +++++++-------
>  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
> index 0c150193cca8..2eac2310a01d 100644
> --- a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
> +++ b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
> @@ -2817,7 +2817,6 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
>                                      struct perf_cpu_map *user_requested_cpus)
>  {
>         char *line = NULL, path[PATH_MAX];
> -       union perf_event *event = NULL;
>         size_t line_len = 0;
>         char bf[BUFSIZ];
>         __u64 timestamp;
> @@ -2858,6 +2857,7 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
>          * for filtered out cpus.
>          */
>         for (ch = io__get_char(&io); !io.eof; ch = io__get_char(&io)) {
> +               union perf_event *event = NULL;
>                 struct perf_cpu this_cpu;
>
>                 if (ch == 'c') {
> @@ -2872,12 +2872,12 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
>
>                 this_cpu.cpu = cpu;
>
> -               if (user_requested_cpus && !perf_cpu_map__has(user_requested_cpus, this_cpu))
> -                       continue;
> -
> -               if (process(tool, event, NULL, NULL) < 0) {
> -                       free(event);
> -                       goto out_free_line;
> +               if (!user_requested_cpus ||
> +                   perf_cpu_map__has(user_requested_cpus, this_cpu)) {
> +                       if (process(tool, event, NULL, NULL) < 0) {
> +                               free(event);
> +                               goto out_free_line;
> +                       }
>                 }
>
>                 free(event);
> --
> 2.55.0
>

Re: [PATCH] perf synthetic-events: Fix schedstat event lifetime handling

[Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 12:41:03PM -0700, Ian Rogers wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 11, 2026 at 10:56 PM Hui Su <sh_def@163.com> wrote:
> >
> > perf_event__synthesize_schedstat() has two event lifetime issues.
> >
> > After a successful iteration, event is freed but retains its value. If
> > the next iteration starts with an unrecognized schedstat record type,
> > neither synthesizer assigns a new value. The stale pointer then passes
> > the NULL check, may be passed to process(), and is freed again.
> >
> > In addition, when user_requested_cpus filters out a synthesized event,
> > the continue path skips free(event), leaking the event.
> >
> > Make event local to each loop iteration so it always starts as NULL.
> > Also avoid the filter continue and unconditionally free each synthesized
> > event at the end of the iteration.
> >
> > Fixes: c3030995f23b ("perf sched stats: Add record and rawdump support")
> > Signed-off-by: Hui Su <sh_def@163.com>
> 
> Reviewed-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>

Thanks, applied to perf-tools-next, for v7.4.

- Arnaldo