[PATCH v2 net] sctp: avoid NULL dereference when chunk data buffer is missing

[PATCH v2 net] sctp: avoid NULL dereference when chunk data buffer is missing

[Alexey Simakov]

chunk->skb pointer is dereferenced in the if-block where it's supposed
to be NULL only.

chunk->skb can only be NULL if chunk->head_skb is not. Check for frag_list
instead and do it just before replacing chunk->skb. We're sure that
otherwise chunk->skb is non-NULL because of outer if() condition.

Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

Fixes: 90017accff61 ("sctp: Add GSO support")
Signed-off-by: Alexey Simakov <bigalex934@gmail.com>
---

v2 - change the condition in if-block and update
its location for preventing potential memory leak
per Marcelo Ricardo Leitner's suggestion.

link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20251015184510.6547-1-bigalex934@gmail.com/

 net/sctp/inqueue.c | 13 +++++++------
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/sctp/inqueue.c b/net/sctp/inqueue.c
index 5c1652181805..f5a7d5a38755 100644
--- a/net/sctp/inqueue.c
+++ b/net/sctp/inqueue.c
@@ -169,13 +169,14 @@ struct sctp_chunk *sctp_inq_pop(struct sctp_inq *queue)
 				chunk->head_skb = chunk->skb;
 
 			/* skbs with "cover letter" */
-			if (chunk->head_skb && chunk->skb->data_len == chunk->skb->len)
+			if (chunk->head_skb && chunk->skb->data_len == chunk->skb->len) {
+				if (WARN_ON(!skb_shinfo(chunk->skb)->frag_list)) {
+					__SCTP_INC_STATS(dev_net(chunk->skb->dev),
+							 SCTP_MIB_IN_PKT_DISCARDS);
+					sctp_chunk_free(chunk);
+					goto next_chunk;
+				}
 				chunk->skb = skb_shinfo(chunk->skb)->frag_list;
-
-			if (WARN_ON(!chunk->skb)) {
-				__SCTP_INC_STATS(dev_net(chunk->skb->dev), SCTP_MIB_IN_PKT_DISCARDS);
-				sctp_chunk_free(chunk);
-				goto next_chunk;
 			}
 		}
 
-- 
2.34.1

Re: [PATCH v2 net] sctp: avoid NULL dereference when chunk data buffer is missing

[Marcelo Ricardo Leitner]

On Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 04:00:36PM +0300, Alexey Simakov wrote:
> chunk->skb pointer is dereferenced in the if-block where it's supposed
> to be NULL only.
> 
> chunk->skb can only be NULL if chunk->head_skb is not. Check for frag_list
> instead and do it just before replacing chunk->skb. We're sure that
> otherwise chunk->skb is non-NULL because of outer if() condition.
> 
> Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.
> 
> Fixes: 90017accff61 ("sctp: Add GSO support")
> Signed-off-by: Alexey Simakov <bigalex934@gmail.com>

Acked-by: Marcelo Ricardo Leitner <marcelo.leitner@gmail.com>

Thx.

Re: [PATCH v2 net] sctp: avoid NULL dereference when chunk data buffer is missing

[patchwork-bot+netdevbpf]

Hello:

This patch was applied to netdev/net.git (main)
by Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:00:36 +0300 you wrote:
> chunk->skb pointer is dereferenced in the if-block where it's supposed
> to be NULL only.
> 
> chunk->skb can only be NULL if chunk->head_skb is not. Check for frag_list
> instead and do it just before replacing chunk->skb. We're sure that
> otherwise chunk->skb is non-NULL because of outer if() condition.
> 
> [...]

Here is the summary with links:
  - [v2,net] sctp: avoid NULL dereference when chunk data buffer is missing
    https://git.kernel.org/netdev/net/c/441f0647f767

You are awesome, thank you!
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