[PATCH bpf] bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record

[PATCH bpf] bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record

[Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi]

bpf_ma_set_dtor() duplicates map->record so that the bpf_mem_alloc
destructor can release the special fields of hash and rhash map elements
once the allocator frees them for good. btf_record_dup() only acquires
references on kernel and module BTF. Fields whose types live in the map
BTF keep pointing into it: a kptr to a local type refers to map->btf,
and a list_head or rb_root field carries a value_rec owned by the struct
meta table of map->btf.

That borrowed state can outlive the map. When RCU callbacks are still in
flight, bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() copies the allocator and defers the final
drain, together with the destructor context, to a workqueue.
bpf_map_free() then frees map->record and drops the map's BTF reference
as soon as map_free() returns. Once the program that loaded the BTF is
gone as well, the BTF is freed while the worker still uses the
duplicate. The worker dereferences it through btf_is_kernel() and
btf_find_struct_meta() in bpf_obj_free_fields() when destroying elements
that were freed under RCU, and through btf_is_kernel() in
btf_record_free() when releasing the context itself:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30
  Read of size 1 at addr ffff88811505dce8 by task kworker/u16:2/50
  Workqueue: events_unbound free_mem_alloc_deferred
  Call Trace:
   btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30
   btf_record_free+0xc7/0xf0
   htab_dtor_ctx_free+0x1a/0x30
   free_mem_alloc_no_barrier+0x39/0x230
   free_mem_alloc_deferred+0x2a/0x40
   process_scheduled_works+0x5ce/0x9d0
   worker_thread+0x42a/0x5e0
   kthread+0x1f5/0x230
   ret_from_fork+0x1dd/0x390
   ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

  Allocated by task 358:
   __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x287/0x510
   btf_new_fd+0xf7/0x3d0
   __sys_bpf+0x487/0x840

  Freed by task 0:
   kfree+0x186/0x560
   rcu_core+0x6f6/0xd40

Freeing a map that still holds more elements than the allocator's high
watermark is enough to get there, because the bulk free during teardown
queues the RCU callback that makes bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() defer.
Non-preallocated hash maps and resizable hash maps both register the
destructor and are affected alike.

Keep one reference on the map BTF in the destructor context. Every
non-kernel pointer in the duplicated record is either map->btf or memory
owned by it, so a single reference covers kptrs, list heads, and rb
roots, and mirrors what bpf_map_meta_alloc() does for the duplicated
record of an inner map. Release it only after the duplicated record has
been freed: the worker is preemptible and not in an RCU read-side
critical section, so dropping the last reference first would let the
BTF be freed while btf_record_free() still reads its fields.

Fixes: 1df97a7453ee ("bpf: Register dtor for freeing special fields")
Reported-by: Yuan Chen <chenyuan@kylinos.cn>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260901062845.1379760-3-chenyuan_fl@163.com
Signed-off-by: Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi <memxor@gmail.com>
---
 kernel/bpf/hashtab.c | 17 ++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c b/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
index f9464e566f10..548eb1cc7c45 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/hashtab.c
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ struct htab_elem {
 
 struct htab_btf_record {
 	struct btf_record *record;
+	struct btf *btf;
 	u32 key_size;
 };
 
@@ -497,8 +498,13 @@ static void htab_dtor_ctx_free(void *ctx)
 {
 	struct htab_btf_record *hrec = ctx;
 
+	/*
+	 * The duplicated record still points into the map BTF, so free it
+	 * before dropping the reference that keeps that BTF alive.
+	 */
 	btf_record_free(hrec->record);
-	kfree(ctx);
+	btf_put(hrec->btf);
+	kfree(hrec);
 }
 
 static int bpf_ma_set_dtor(struct bpf_map *map, struct bpf_mem_alloc *ma,
@@ -521,6 +527,15 @@ static int bpf_ma_set_dtor(struct bpf_map *map, struct bpf_mem_alloc *ma,
 		kfree(hrec);
 		return err;
 	}
+	/*
+	 * btf_record_dup() only acquires kernel and module BTF. Fields whose
+	 * types live in the map BTF keep pointing into it: kptrs to local
+	 * types refer to map->btf, and graph roots carry a value record owned
+	 * by its struct meta table. The context can outlive the map when the
+	 * allocator defers its teardown, so hold a reference of our own.
+	 */
+	hrec->btf = map->btf;
+	btf_get(hrec->btf);
 	bpf_mem_alloc_set_dtor(ma, dtor, htab_dtor_ctx_free, hrec);
 	return 0;
 }
-- 
2.53.0

Re: [PATCH bpf] bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record

[patchwork-bot+netdevbpf]

Hello:

This patch was applied to bpf/bpf.git (master)
by Alexei Starovoitov <ast@kernel.org>:

On Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:46:51 +0200 you wrote:
> bpf_ma_set_dtor() duplicates map->record so that the bpf_mem_alloc
> destructor can release the special fields of hash and rhash map elements
> once the allocator frees them for good. btf_record_dup() only acquires
> references on kernel and module BTF. Fields whose types live in the map
> BTF keep pointing into it: a kptr to a local type refers to map->btf,
> and a list_head or rb_root field carries a value_rec owned by the struct
> meta table of map->btf.
> 
> [...]

Here is the summary with links:
  - [bpf] bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record
    https://git.kernel.org/bpf/bpf/c/ab39974240a0

You are awesome, thank you!
-- 
Deet-doot-dot, I am a bot.
https://korg.docs.kernel.org/patchwork/pwbot.html