RE: [PATCH v4] hfs: Validate CNIDs in hfs_read_inode

[Viacheslav Dubeyko <Slava.Dubeyko@ibm.com>]

On Sat, 2026-03-14 at 15:35 +0900, Tetsuo Handa wrote:
> On 2026/03/14 3:40, Viacheslav Dubeyko wrote:
> > On Fri, 2026-03-13 at 20:03 +0900, Tetsuo Handa wrote:
> > > On 2026/03/13 8:13, Viacheslav Dubeyko wrote:
> > > > > And even after both changes are applied, my patch still makes sense
> > > > > because mount() operation still succeeds for cnid >= 16. :-)
> > > > 
> > > > I don't follow how it could happen. Please, take a look here [1]:
> > > 
> > > Do you remember that you said
> > > 
> > >   "Why do not localize the all checks in hfs_read_inode()?"
> > > 
> > 
> > If we still have not correct implementation of hfs_read_inode() flow, then we
> > can make it right. The patch is under review yet and it can be changed.
> > 
> 
> Did you read relevant commit in my patch's description? What you have been
> failing to understand is that the value filled in by hfs_bnode_read() can be
> corrupted, for the value is given from relevant offset of the file system image.
> 
> > > > We request to find exactly HFS_ROOT_CNID. If root folder has another CNID, then
> > > > we simply cannot find the record for root folder in Catalog File. So, we never
> > > > will call hfs_iget() if we cannot find the record.
> 
> Your assumption is absolutely wrong. We request to find HFS_ROOT_CNID, but
> there is no guarantee that the CNID value (the value of rec.dir.DirID if
> rec.type is HFS_CDR_DIR, or the value of rec->file.FlNum if rec->type is
> HFS_CDR_FIL) which is filled in by hfs_bnode_read() is actually HFS_ROOT_CNID,
> for the CNID value is nothing but 32bits read from relevant offset of the
> file system image.
> 
> Since we are passing wrong CNID to hfs_iget(), we can't fix this problem
> by updating hfs_read_inode() flow. The correct fix for this report is
> "don't call hfs_iget() if CNID is wrong". Your patch can be applies as
> a further improvement rather than a fix for this report.

It means that, maybe, we need to add the logic of checking the extracted record
by hfs_cat_find_brec(). But I cannot imagine that this logic can extract the
record  with incorrect CNID. Because, it is the main goal of hfs_cat_find_brec()
logic to extract the record that contains requested CNID. And if we requested
the HFS_ROOT_CNID, then this logic should return the record with exactly
requested CNID or return the error code if such record has not been found.

Thanks,
Slava.