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* [PATCH 1/2] stacktrace: Add __counted_by_ptr attribute to struct stack_trace
       [not found] <20260823123549.1120133-1-morbo@google.com>
@ 2026-08-23 12:35 ` Bill Wendling
  2026-08-24 19:12   ` Gustavo A. R. Silva
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute Bill Wendling
  1 sibling, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: Bill Wendling @ 2026-08-23 12:35 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: linux-kernel
  Cc: Bill Wendling, Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton,
	Brendan Higgins, David Gow, Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto,
	Kuan-Wei Chiu, Pasha Tatashin, Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek,
	Kir Chou, codemender-patching+linux, linux-hardening,
	linux-kselftest, kunit-dev

For hardening and catching out-of-bounds accesses to the 'entries'
pointer field in 'struct stack_trace', associate it with its count
field 'max_entries' using the __counted_by_ptr attribute.

An analysis of the codebase reveals that 'struct stack_trace' is
instantiated and initialized across several entry points in
'kernel/stacktrace.c'. In each execution path, 'trace.entries' is
assigned a buffer of size 'size', and 'trace.max_entries' is assigned
'size' concurrently within the structure's initializer block. The
pointer is not accessed before the count is set.

Because 'trace.entries' is always assigned at the same time as
'trace.max_entries' during initialization and is never reallocated
or accessed beforehand, there are no uninitialized access windows.
The 'max_entries' field accurately holds the exact element count
of the buffer allocated for the 'entries' pointer, ensuring that
compiler fortification and KASAN bounds checks using __counted_by_ptr
do not trigger false-positive bounds checks or runtime panics.

Assisted-by: Gemini Next
Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
---
Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
---
 include/linux/stacktrace.h | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/stacktrace.h b/include/linux/stacktrace.h
index 97455880ac41..fbb0925d8864 100644
--- a/include/linux/stacktrace.h
+++ b/include/linux/stacktrace.h
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ unsigned int filter_irq_stacks(unsigned long *entries, unsigned int nr_entries);
 /* Internal interfaces. Do not use in generic code */
 struct stack_trace {
 	unsigned int nr_entries, max_entries;
-	unsigned long *entries;
+	unsigned long *entries __counted_by_ptr(max_entries);
 	unsigned int skip;	/* input argument: How many entries to skip */
 };
 
-- 
2.55.0.860.g4b6b3295ed-goog


^ permalink raw reply related	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute
       [not found] <20260823123549.1120133-1-morbo@google.com>
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 1/2] stacktrace: Add __counted_by_ptr attribute to struct stack_trace Bill Wendling
@ 2026-08-23 12:35 ` Bill Wendling
  2026-08-23 15:11   ` Kuan-Wei Chiu
                     ` (2 more replies)
  1 sibling, 3 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Bill Wendling @ 2026-08-23 12:35 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: linux-kernel
  Cc: Bill Wendling, Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton,
	Brendan Higgins, David Gow, Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto,
	Kuan-Wei Chiu, Pasha Tatashin, Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek,
	Kir Chou, codemender-patching+linux, linux-hardening,
	linux-kselftest, kunit-dev

Add a custom KUnit test suite 'stacktrace_counted_by' to verify that the
__counted_by_ptr annotation on the 'entries' field of 'struct stack_trace'
behaves correctly.

The test verifies that 'max_entries' correctly limits and validates access
to 'entries' when CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is not defined. If it is defined,
the test is cleanly skipped at runtime to prevent compile-time or runtime
failures due to 'struct stack_trace' being undefined on modern
architectures.

Assisted-by: Gemini Next
Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
---
Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
---
 lib/Kconfig.debug            | 10 +++++++
 lib/kunit/.kunitconfig       |  1 +
 lib/tests/Makefile           |  1 +
 lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c | 51 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 63 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c

diff --git a/lib/Kconfig.debug b/lib/Kconfig.debug
index e97bdf3a42a8..51a6ac1a2461 100644
--- a/lib/Kconfig.debug
+++ b/lib/Kconfig.debug
@@ -2716,6 +2716,16 @@ config BITOPS_KUNIT
 
 	  If unsure, say N.
 
+config STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST
+	tristate "KUnit test for stacktrace counted_by attribute" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
+	depends on KUNIT
+	default KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
+	help
+	  This option enables the KUnit test for verifying the __counted_by_ptr
+	  attribute on struct stack_trace.
+
+	  If unsure, say N.
+
 config BITFIELD_KUNIT
 	tristate "KUnit test bitfield functions at runtime" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
 	depends on KUNIT
diff --git a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
index 9235b7d42d38..b3761b41459e 100644
--- a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
+++ b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 CONFIG_KUNIT=y
 CONFIG_KUNIT_TEST=y
 CONFIG_KUNIT_EXAMPLE_TEST=y
+CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST=y
diff --git a/lib/tests/Makefile b/lib/tests/Makefile
index 4ead57602eac..40875e729fc8 100644
--- a/lib/tests/Makefile
+++ b/lib/tests/Makefile
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 CFLAGS_bitfield_kunit.o := $(DISABLE_STRUCTLEAK_PLUGIN)
 obj-$(CONFIG_BASE64_KUNIT) += base64_kunit.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_BITOPS_KUNIT) += bitops_kunit.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST) += stacktrace_kunit.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_BITFIELD_KUNIT) += bitfield_kunit.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_BITS_TEST) += test_bits.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_SHDI3_KUNIT_TEST) += shdi3_kunit.o
diff --git a/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7ec48edf84fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/*
+ * KUnit test for struct stack_trace counted_by attribute.
+ */
+
+#include <kunit/test.h>
+#include <linux/stacktrace.h>
+
+#ifndef CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK
+static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
+{
+	unsigned long entries_buf[4];
+	struct stack_trace trace = {
+		.entries = entries_buf,
+		.max_entries = 4,
+	};
+
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.max_entries, 4U);
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_PTR_EQ(test, trace.entries, (unsigned long *)entries_buf);
+
+	/* Write to the allocated elements to verify access */
+	trace.entries[0] = 0xdeadbeef;
+	trace.entries[1] = 0xbeefcafe;
+	trace.entries[2] = 0xcafebabe;
+	trace.entries[3] = 0x12345678;
+
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[0], 0xdeadbeefUL);
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[1], 0xbeefcafeUL);
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[2], 0xcafebabeUL);
+	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[3], 0x12345678UL);
+}
+#else
+static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
+{
+	kunit_skip(test, "CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is enabled, struct stack_trace is not defined");
+}
+#endif
+
+static struct kunit_case stacktrace_test_cases[] = {
+	KUNIT_CASE(test_stack_trace_counted_by),
+	{}
+};
+
+static struct kunit_suite stacktrace_test_suite = {
+	.name = "stacktrace_counted_by",
+	.test_cases = stacktrace_test_cases,
+};
+
+kunit_test_suite(stacktrace_test_suite);
+
+MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
-- 
2.55.0.860.g4b6b3295ed-goog


^ permalink raw reply related	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* Re: [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute Bill Wendling
@ 2026-08-23 15:11   ` Kuan-Wei Chiu
  2026-08-24  6:41   ` Thomas Weißschuh
  2026-08-25  5:07   ` David Gow
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Kuan-Wei Chiu @ 2026-08-23 15:11 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Bill Wendling
  Cc: linux-kernel, Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton,
	Brendan Higgins, David Gow, Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto,
	Pasha Tatashin, Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek, Kir Chou,
	codemender-patching+linux, linux-hardening, linux-kselftest,
	kunit-dev

Hi Bill,

On Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 12:35:33PM +0000, Bill Wendling wrote:
> Add a custom KUnit test suite 'stacktrace_counted_by' to verify that the
> __counted_by_ptr annotation on the 'entries' field of 'struct stack_trace'
> behaves correctly.
> 
> The test verifies that 'max_entries' correctly limits and validates access
> to 'entries' when CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is not defined. If it is defined,
> the test is cleanly skipped at runtime to prevent compile-time or runtime
> failures due to 'struct stack_trace' being undefined on modern
> architectures.
> 
> Assisted-by: Gemini Next
> Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
> ---
> Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
> Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
> Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
> Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
> Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
> Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
> Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
> Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
> Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
> Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
> Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
> Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
> Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> ---
>  lib/Kconfig.debug            | 10 +++++++
>  lib/kunit/.kunitconfig       |  1 +
>  lib/tests/Makefile           |  1 +
>  lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c | 51 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  4 files changed, 63 insertions(+)
>  create mode 100644 lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> 
> diff --git a/lib/Kconfig.debug b/lib/Kconfig.debug
> index e97bdf3a42a8..51a6ac1a2461 100644
> --- a/lib/Kconfig.debug
> +++ b/lib/Kconfig.debug
> @@ -2716,6 +2716,16 @@ config BITOPS_KUNIT
>  
>  	  If unsure, say N.
>  
> +config STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST
> +	tristate "KUnit test for stacktrace counted_by attribute" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
> +	depends on KUNIT
> +	default KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
> +	help
> +	  This option enables the KUnit test for verifying the __counted_by_ptr
> +	  attribute on struct stack_trace.
> +
> +	  If unsure, say N.
> +
>  config BITFIELD_KUNIT
>  	tristate "KUnit test bitfield functions at runtime" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
>  	depends on KUNIT
> diff --git a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> index 9235b7d42d38..b3761b41459e 100644
> --- a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> +++ b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
>  CONFIG_KUNIT=y
>  CONFIG_KUNIT_TEST=y
>  CONFIG_KUNIT_EXAMPLE_TEST=y
> +CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST=y
> diff --git a/lib/tests/Makefile b/lib/tests/Makefile
> index 4ead57602eac..40875e729fc8 100644
> --- a/lib/tests/Makefile
> +++ b/lib/tests/Makefile
> @@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
>  CFLAGS_bitfield_kunit.o := $(DISABLE_STRUCTLEAK_PLUGIN)
>  obj-$(CONFIG_BASE64_KUNIT) += base64_kunit.o
>  obj-$(CONFIG_BITOPS_KUNIT) += bitops_kunit.o
> +obj-$(CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST) += stacktrace_kunit.o
>  obj-$(CONFIG_BITFIELD_KUNIT) += bitfield_kunit.o
>  obj-$(CONFIG_BITS_TEST) += test_bits.o
>  obj-$(CONFIG_SHDI3_KUNIT_TEST) += shdi3_kunit.o
> diff --git a/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..7ec48edf84fe
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
> +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +/*
> + * KUnit test for struct stack_trace counted_by attribute.
> + */
> +
> +#include <kunit/test.h>
> +#include <linux/stacktrace.h>
> +
> +#ifndef CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK
> +static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
> +{
> +	unsigned long entries_buf[4];
> +	struct stack_trace trace = {
> +		.entries = entries_buf,
> +		.max_entries = 4,
> +	};
> +
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.max_entries, 4U);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_PTR_EQ(test, trace.entries, (unsigned long *)entries_buf);
> +
> +	/* Write to the allocated elements to verify access */
> +	trace.entries[0] = 0xdeadbeef;
> +	trace.entries[1] = 0xbeefcafe;
> +	trace.entries[2] = 0xcafebabe;
> +	trace.entries[3] = 0x12345678;

This only does in bounds array writes.
To test __counted_by_ptr, I thought we were supposed to intentionally
trigger an out of bounds access and see if it actually catches the
error?

Regards,
Kuan-Wei

> +
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[0], 0xdeadbeefUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[1], 0xbeefcafeUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[2], 0xcafebabeUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[3], 0x12345678UL);
> +}
> +#else
> +static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
> +{
> +	kunit_skip(test, "CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is enabled, struct stack_trace is not defined");
> +}
> +#endif
> +
> +static struct kunit_case stacktrace_test_cases[] = {
> +	KUNIT_CASE(test_stack_trace_counted_by),
> +	{}
> +};
> +
> +static struct kunit_suite stacktrace_test_suite = {
> +	.name = "stacktrace_counted_by",
> +	.test_cases = stacktrace_test_cases,
> +};
> +
> +kunit_test_suite(stacktrace_test_suite);
> +
> +MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
> -- 
> 2.55.0.860.g4b6b3295ed-goog
> 

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* Re: [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute Bill Wendling
  2026-08-23 15:11   ` Kuan-Wei Chiu
@ 2026-08-24  6:41   ` Thomas Weißschuh
  2026-08-25  5:07   ` David Gow
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Thomas Weißschuh @ 2026-08-24  6:41 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Bill Wendling
  Cc: linux-kernel, Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton,
	Brendan Higgins, David Gow, Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto,
	Kuan-Wei Chiu, Pasha Tatashin, Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek,
	Kir Chou, codemender-patching+linux, linux-hardening,
	linux-kselftest, kunit-dev

On Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 12:35:33PM +0000, Bill Wendling wrote:
> Add a custom KUnit test suite 'stacktrace_counted_by' to verify that the
> __counted_by_ptr annotation on the 'entries' field of 'struct stack_trace'
> behaves correctly.

The implementation of __counted_by_ptr should be tested by a dedicated unittest
for that feature. And I am fairly sure that already exists. It should not be
tested in random subsystems.

> The test verifies that 'max_entries' correctly limits and validates access
> to 'entries' when CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is not defined. If it is defined,
> the test is cleanly skipped at runtime to prevent compile-time or runtime
> failures due to 'struct stack_trace' being undefined on modern
> architectures.
> 
> Assisted-by: Gemini Next
> Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
> ---
> Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
> Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
> Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
> Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
> Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
> Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
> Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
> Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
> Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
> Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
> Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
> Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
> Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> ---
>  lib/Kconfig.debug            | 10 +++++++
>  lib/kunit/.kunitconfig       |  1 +
>  lib/tests/Makefile           |  1 +
>  lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c | 51 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  4 files changed, 63 insertions(+)
>  create mode 100644 lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c

(...)

> diff --git a/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..7ec48edf84fe
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@

(...)

> +}
> +#else
> +static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
> +{
> +	kunit_skip(test, "CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is enabled, struct stack_trace is not defined");

If the test requires a specific kconfig symbol, then depend on it in kconfig.
Putting all of the code behind a single, giant ifdef is pointless.

> +}
> +#endif

(...)

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* Re: [PATCH 1/2] stacktrace: Add __counted_by_ptr attribute to struct stack_trace
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 1/2] stacktrace: Add __counted_by_ptr attribute to struct stack_trace Bill Wendling
@ 2026-08-24 19:12   ` Gustavo A. R. Silva
  0 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Gustavo A. R. Silva @ 2026-08-24 19:12 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Bill Wendling, linux-kernel
  Cc: Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton, Brendan Higgins,
	David Gow, Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto, Kuan-Wei Chiu,
	Pasha Tatashin, Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek, Kir Chou,
	codemender-patching+linux, linux-hardening, linux-kselftest,
	kunit-dev



On 8/23/26 06:35, Bill Wendling wrote:
> For hardening and catching out-of-bounds accesses to the 'entries'
> pointer field in 'struct stack_trace', associate it with its count
> field 'max_entries' using the __counted_by_ptr attribute.
> 
> An analysis of the codebase reveals that 'struct stack_trace' is
> instantiated and initialized across several entry points in
> 'kernel/stacktrace.c'. In each execution path, 'trace.entries' is
> assigned a buffer of size 'size', and 'trace.max_entries' is assigned
> 'size' concurrently within the structure's initializer block. The
> pointer is not accessed before the count is set.
> 
> Because 'trace.entries' is always assigned at the same time as
> 'trace.max_entries' during initialization and is never reallocated
> or accessed beforehand, there are no uninitialized access windows.
> The 'max_entries' field accurately holds the exact element count
> of the buffer allocated for the 'entries' pointer, ensuring that
> compiler fortification and KASAN bounds checks using __counted_by_ptr
> do not trigger false-positive bounds checks or runtime panics.
> 
> Assisted-by: Gemini Next
> Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>

Reviewed-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@kernel.org>

Thanks
-Gustavo

> ---
> Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
> Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
> Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
> Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
> Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
> Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
> Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
> Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
> Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
> Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
> Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
> Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
> Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> ---
>   include/linux/stacktrace.h | 2 +-
>   1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/include/linux/stacktrace.h b/include/linux/stacktrace.h
> index 97455880ac41..fbb0925d8864 100644
> --- a/include/linux/stacktrace.h
> +++ b/include/linux/stacktrace.h
> @@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ unsigned int filter_irq_stacks(unsigned long *entries, unsigned int nr_entries);
>   /* Internal interfaces. Do not use in generic code */
>   struct stack_trace {
>   	unsigned int nr_entries, max_entries;
> -	unsigned long *entries;
> +	unsigned long *entries __counted_by_ptr(max_entries);
>   	unsigned int skip;	/* input argument: How many entries to skip */
>   };
>   


^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* Re: [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute
  2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute Bill Wendling
  2026-08-23 15:11   ` Kuan-Wei Chiu
  2026-08-24  6:41   ` Thomas Weißschuh
@ 2026-08-25  5:07   ` David Gow
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: David Gow @ 2026-08-25  5:07 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: Bill Wendling, linux-kernel
  Cc: Kees Cook, Gustavo A. R. Silva, Andrew Morton, Brendan Higgins,
	Rae Moar, Ryota Sakamoto, Kuan-Wei Chiu, Pasha Tatashin,
	Dmitry Antipov, Petr Mladek, Kir Chou, codemender-patching+linux,
	linux-hardening, linux-kselftest, kunit-dev

Le 23/08/2026 à 20:35, Bill Wendling a écrit :
> Add a custom KUnit test suite 'stacktrace_counted_by' to verify that the
> __counted_by_ptr annotation on the 'entries' field of 'struct stack_trace'
> behaves correctly.
> 
> The test verifies that 'max_entries' correctly limits and validates access
> to 'entries' when CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is not defined. If it is defined,
> the test is cleanly skipped at runtime to prevent compile-time or runtime
> failures due to 'struct stack_trace' being undefined on modern
> architectures.
> 
> Assisted-by: Gemini Next
> Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
> ---
> Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
> Cc: "Gustavo A. R. Silva" <gustavoars@kernel.org>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
> Cc: Brendan Higgins <brendan.higgins@linux.dev>
> Cc: David Gow <david@davidgow.net>
> Cc: Rae Moar <raemoar63@gmail.com>
> Cc: Ryota Sakamoto <sakamo.ryota@gmail.com>
> Cc: Kuan-Wei Chiu <visitorckw@gmail.com>
> Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@soleen.com>
> Cc: Dmitry Antipov <dmantipov@yandex.ru>
> Cc: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
> Cc: Kir Chou <note351@hotmail.com>
> Cc: codemender-patching+linux@google.com
> Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
> Cc: kunit-dev@googlegroups.com
> Cc: linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
> ---

I'm a bit confused: what is this actually testing? You're creating an 
array of size 4 and writing 4 entries to it, after setting max_entries 
correctly? Removing the __counted_by_ptr attribute doesn't change 
anything here. Is there any circumstance where this should fail? The 
only case I can think of is if __counted_by_ptr is either totally 
broken, or someone randomly points it to a different value. Neither of 
which seem likely.

Even if this did something more exciting (like try to access elements 
beyond the end of the array), I'm not sure a KUnit test is the optimal 
place for it: ultimately we're looking for a compiler warning / error, 
not a runtime one, and even then, one which probably isn't of much value 
given it's unlikely __counted_by_ptr will spontaneously break.

Added to that, there are a bunch of stylistic issues with the test below 
anyway. These mostly seem like LLM-isms, but probably should've been 
caught before this went to the list.

Unless there's something I'm missing (and, if so, it's probably worth 
writing a description which better explains the "why" here), I think we 
can probably drop this test entirely and stick to just patch 1.

-- David

>   lib/Kconfig.debug            | 10 +++++++
>   lib/kunit/.kunitconfig       |  1 +
>   lib/tests/Makefile           |  1 +
>   lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c | 51 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>   4 files changed, 63 insertions(+)
>   create mode 100644 lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> 
> diff --git a/lib/Kconfig.debug b/lib/Kconfig.debug
> index e97bdf3a42a8..51a6ac1a2461 100644
> --- a/lib/Kconfig.debug
> +++ b/lib/Kconfig.debug
> @@ -2716,6 +2716,16 @@ config BITOPS_KUNIT
>   
>   	  If unsure, say N.
>   
> +config STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST
> +	tristate "KUnit test for stacktrace counted_by attribute" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
> +	depends on KUNIT

This should also just depend on CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK, rather than doing 
the whole skip test thing.

> +	default KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
> +	help
> +	  This option enables the KUnit test for verifying the __counted_by_ptr
> +	  attribute on struct stack_trace.
> +
> +	  If unsure, say N.
> +
>   config BITFIELD_KUNIT
>   	tristate "KUnit test bitfield functions at runtime" if !KUNIT_ALL_TESTS
>   	depends on KUNIT
> diff --git a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> index 9235b7d42d38..b3761b41459e 100644
> --- a/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> +++ b/lib/kunit/.kunitconfig
> @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
>   CONFIG_KUNIT=y
>   CONFIG_KUNIT_TEST=y
>   CONFIG_KUNIT_EXAMPLE_TEST=y
> +CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST=y

Please don't add this here. This is not a test of KUnit itself, which is 
what the lib/kunit/.kunitconfig file is meant to configure.

For general KUnit test build, CONFIG_KUNIT_ALL_TESTS will enable it.

> diff --git a/lib/tests/Makefile b/lib/tests/Makefile
> index 4ead57602eac..40875e729fc8 100644
> --- a/lib/tests/Makefile
> +++ b/lib/tests/Makefile
> @@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
>   CFLAGS_bitfield_kunit.o := $(DISABLE_STRUCTLEAK_PLUGIN)
>   obj-$(CONFIG_BASE64_KUNIT) += base64_kunit.o
>   obj-$(CONFIG_BITOPS_KUNIT) += bitops_kunit.o
> +obj-$(CONFIG_STACKTRACE_KUNIT_TEST) += stacktrace_kunit.o
>   obj-$(CONFIG_BITFIELD_KUNIT) += bitfield_kunit.o
>   obj-$(CONFIG_BITS_TEST) += test_bits.o
>   obj-$(CONFIG_SHDI3_KUNIT_TEST) += shdi3_kunit.o
> diff --git a/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..7ec48edf84fe
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/lib/tests/stacktrace_kunit.c
> @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
> +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +/*
> + * KUnit test for struct stack_trace counted_by attribute.
> + */
> +
> +#include <kunit/test.h>
> +#include <linux/stacktrace.h>
> +
> +#ifndef CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK
> +static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
> +{
> +	unsigned long entries_buf[4];
> +	struct stack_trace trace = {
> +		.entries = entries_buf,
> +		.max_entries = 4,
> +	};
> +
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.max_entries, 4U);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_PTR_EQ(test, trace.entries, (unsigned long *)entries_buf);
> +
> +	/* Write to the allocated elements to verify access */
> +	trace.entries[0] = 0xdeadbeef;
> +	trace.entries[1] = 0xbeefcafe;
> +	trace.entries[2] = 0xcafebabe;
> +	trace.entries[3] = 0x12345678;
> +
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[0], 0xdeadbeefUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[1], 0xbeefcafeUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[2], 0xcafebabeUL);
> +	KUNIT_EXPECT_EQ(test, trace.entries[3], 0x12345678UL);
> +}
> +#else
> +static void test_stack_trace_counted_by(struct kunit *test)
> +{
> +	kunit_skip(test, "CONFIG_ARCH_STACKWALK is enabled, struct stack_trace is not defined");
> +}
> +#endif
> +
> +static struct kunit_case stacktrace_test_cases[] = {
> +	KUNIT_CASE(test_stack_trace_counted_by),
> +	{}
> +};
> +
> +static struct kunit_suite stacktrace_test_suite = {
> +	.name = "stacktrace_counted_by",
> +	.test_cases = stacktrace_test_cases,
> +};

Is this suite intended to cover more stacktrace tests than just the 
counted_by one at some point? If so, it'd be better to name it 
"stacktrace". If not, these structs should be named 
"stacktrace_counted_by_test_suite", etc.

> +
> +kunit_test_suite(stacktrace_test_suite);
> +
> +MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");


^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

end of thread, other threads:[~2026-08-25  5:07 UTC | newest]

Thread overview: 6+ messages (download: mbox.gz follow: Atom feed
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
     [not found] <20260823123549.1120133-1-morbo@google.com>
2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 1/2] stacktrace: Add __counted_by_ptr attribute to struct stack_trace Bill Wendling
2026-08-24 19:12   ` Gustavo A. R. Silva
2026-08-23 12:35 ` [PATCH 2/2] lib/tests: Add KUnit test for struct stack_trace __counted_by_ptr attribute Bill Wendling
2026-08-23 15:11   ` Kuan-Wei Chiu
2026-08-24  6:41   ` Thomas Weißschuh
2026-08-25  5:07   ` David Gow

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