From: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
To: patches@lists.linux.dev, stable@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Johannes Berg <johannes.berg@intel.com>,
syzbot+92c6dd14aaa230be6855@syzkaller.appspotmail.com,
Jeff Johnson <jeff.johnson@oss.qualcomm.com>,
Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>,
linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH AUTOSEL 5.10 6/8] wifi: ath6kl: remove WARN on bad firmware input
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:13:13 -0400 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20250624041316.85209-6-sashal@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20250624041316.85209-1-sashal@kernel.org>
From: Johannes Berg <johannes.berg@intel.com>
[ Upstream commit e7417421d89358da071fd2930f91e67c7128fbff ]
If the firmware gives bad input, that's nothing to do with
the driver's stack at this point etc., so the WARN_ON()
doesn't add any value. Additionally, this is one of the
top syzbot reports now. Just print a message, and as an
added bonus, print the sizes too.
Reported-by: syzbot+92c6dd14aaa230be6855@syzkaller.appspotmail.com
Tested-by: syzbot+92c6dd14aaa230be6855@syzkaller.appspotmail.com
Acked-by: Jeff Johnson <jeff.johnson@oss.qualcomm.com>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250617114529.031a677a348e.I58bf1eb4ac16a82c546725ff010f3f0d2b0cca49@changeid
Signed-off-by: Johannes Berg <johannes.berg@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
**YES**
This commit should be backported to stable kernel trees for the
following reasons:
## Security and Stability Impact
1. **Syzbot Report**: The commit explicitly mentions this is "one of the
top syzbot reports now", indicating it's a frequently triggered issue
that impacts kernel stability testing. Syzbot is Google's continuous
fuzzing infrastructure that finds kernel bugs, and high-frequency
reports indicate significant impact.
2. **WARN_ON Misuse**: The removed WARN_ON is checking for bad firmware
input, which violates kernel best practices. WARN_ON should only be
used for "impossible" conditions that indicate kernel bugs, not for
validating external input. As the commit message states: "If the
firmware gives bad input, that's nothing to do with the driver's
stack at this point."
3. **DoS Potential**: A WARN_ON can be triggered by malicious or
corrupted firmware, potentially causing:
- Stack traces in kernel logs (log spam)
- Performance degradation
- In some configurations, system panic (if panic_on_warn is set)
## Code Analysis
The change is minimal and safe:
```c
- WARN_ON(1);
+ ath6kl_err("mismatched byte count %d vs. expected %zd\n",
+ le32_to_cpu(targ_info->byte_count),
+ sizeof(*targ_info));
```
The fix:
- Removes the inappropriate WARN_ON
- Adds informative error logging with actual vs expected sizes
- Maintains the same error handling path (return -EINVAL)
- No functional changes beyond logging
## Similar Precedent
Looking at similar commits:
- Commit #5 (ath6kl: reduce WARN to dev_dbg() in callback) -
**Backported: YES** - Similar removal of WARN for known race condition
- Commit #3 (ath10k: Change the warning message string) - **Backported:
YES** - Modified warning to avoid syzbot confusion
## Stable Kernel Criteria
This meets stable kernel criteria:
- **Fixes a real bug**: Addresses inappropriate WARN_ON usage that can
be triggered by external input
- **Minimal change**: Only removes WARN_ON and adds error message
- **Low risk**: No functional changes, just logging improvement
- **Tested**: Explicitly tested by syzbot
- **Clear benefit**: Reduces false positive warnings and improves
debugging
The commit is a straightforward fix that improves kernel robustness
without introducing new risks, making it an ideal candidate for stable
backporting.
drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/bmi.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/bmi.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/bmi.c
index af98e871199d3..5a9e93fd1ef42 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/bmi.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/bmi.c
@@ -87,7 +87,9 @@ int ath6kl_bmi_get_target_info(struct ath6kl *ar,
* We need to do some backwards compatibility to make this work.
*/
if (le32_to_cpu(targ_info->byte_count) != sizeof(*targ_info)) {
- WARN_ON(1);
+ ath6kl_err("mismatched byte count %d vs. expected %zd\n",
+ le32_to_cpu(targ_info->byte_count),
+ sizeof(*targ_info));
return -EINVAL;
}
--
2.39.5
prev parent reply other threads:[~2025-06-24 4:13 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
[not found] <20250624041316.85209-1-sashal@kernel.org>
2025-06-24 4:13 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 5.10 5/8] wifi: mac80211: drop invalid source address OCB frames Sasha Levin
2025-06-24 4:13 ` Sasha Levin [this message]
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