Re: [syzbot] [ext4?] kernel panic: EXT4-fs (device loop0): panic forced after error (3)

Theodore Ts'o
2023-08-17T14:21:24Z

On Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 03:48:49PM -0700, syzbot wrote:
> Hello,
>
> syzbot found the following issue on:
>
> HEAD commit: ae545c3283dc Merge tag 'gpio-fixes-for-v6.5-rc6' of git://..
> git tree: upstream
> console+strace: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/x/log.txt?x=13e5d553a80000
> kernel config: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/x/.config?x=171b698bc2e613cf
> dashboard link: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=27eece6916b914a49ce7
> compiler: Debian clang version 15.0.6, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.40
> syz repro: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/x/repro.syz?x=13433207a80000
> C reproducer: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/x/repro.c?x=109cd837a80000
>
> EXT4-fs error (device loop0): ext4_validate_block_bitmap:430: comm syz-executor211: bg 0: block 46: invalid block bitmap
> Kernel panic - not syncing: EXT4-fs (device loop0): panic forced after error

#syz invalid

This is fundamentally a syzbot bug. The file system is horrifically
corrupted, *and* the superblock has the "panic on error" (aka "panic
onfile system corruption") bit set.

This can be desireable because in a failover situation, if the file
system is found to be corrupted, you *want* the primary server to
fail, and let the secondary server to take over. This is a technique
which is decades old.

So this is Working As Intended, and is a classic example of (a) if you
are root, you can force the file system to crash, and (b) a classic
example of syzbot noise. (Five minutes of my life that I'm never
getting back. :-)

- Ted