[PATCH v6] checkpatch: add check for snprintf to scnprintf

Justin Stitt
2024-04-29T18:39:31Z

I am going to quote Lee Jones who has been doing some snprintf ->
scnprintf refactorings:

"There is a general misunderstanding amongst engineers that
{v}snprintf() returns the length of the data *actually* encoded into the
destination array. However, as per the C99 standard {v}snprintf()
really returns the length of the data that *would have been* written if
there were enough space for it. This misunderstanding has led to
buffer-overruns in the past. It's generally considered safer to use the
{v}scnprintf() variants in their place (or even sprintf() in simple
cases). So let's do that."

To help prevent new instances of snprintf() from popping up, let's add a
check to checkpatch.pl.

Suggested-by: Finn Thain <fthain@linux-m68k.org>
Signed-off-by: Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>
---
Changes in v6:
- move capture group to only include symbol name (not spaces or paren)
- Link to v5: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240422-snprintf-checkpatch-v5-1-f1e90bf7164e@google.com

Changes in v5:
- use capture groups to let the user know which variation they used
- Link to v4: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240408-snprintf-checkpatch-v4-1-8697c96ac94b@google.com

Changes in v4:
- also check for vsnprintf variant (thanks Bill)
- Link to v3: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240315-snprintf-checkpatch-v3-1-a451e7664306@google.com

Changes in v3:
- fix indentation
- add reference link (https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/105) (thanks Joe)
- Link to v2: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240221-snprintf-checkpatch-v2-1-9baeb59dae30@google.com

Changes in v2:
- Had a vim moment and deleted a character before sending the patch.
- Replaced the character :)
- Link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240221-snprintf-checkpatch-v1-1-3ac5025b5961@google.com
---
From a discussion here [1].

[1]: https://lore.kernel.org/all/0f9c95f9-2c14-eee6-7faf-635880edcea4@linux-m68k.org/
---
scripts/checkpatch.pl | 6 ++++++
1 file changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index 9c4c4a61bc83..bdae8a7ae5ed 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -7012,6 +7012,12 @@ sub process {
"Prefer strscpy, strscpy_pad, or __nonstring over strncpy - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/90\n" . $herecurr);
}

+# {v}snprintf uses that should likely be {v}scnprintf
+ if ($line =~ /\b((v|)snprintf)\s*\(/) {
+ WARN("SNPRINTF",
+ "Prefer ${2}scnprintf over $1 - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/105\n" . $herecurr);
+ }
+
# ethtool_sprintf uses that should likely be ethtool_puts
if ($line =~ /\bethtool_sprintf\s*\(\s*$FuncArg\s*,\s*$FuncArg\s*\)/) {
if (WARN("PREFER_ETHTOOL_PUTS",

---
base-commit: b401b621758e46812da61fa58a67c3fd8d91de0d
change-id: 20240221-snprintf-checkpatch-a864ed67ebd0

Best regards,
--
Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>