[PATCH net] genetlink: pin family module during policy dump

[PATCH net] genetlink: pin family module during policy dump

[XingWang Xiang]

The generic netlink controller's policy dump keeps pointers to the target
family's operation and policy tables in its callback state.  A dump may be
split across multiple skbs and remain pending after the initial request.

Netlink pins the module which owns the dump callback, but in this case
that is the controller's owner rather than the target family's owner.  The
target family can consequently be unregistered and its module unloaded
while a policy dump is pending.  Advancing the dump then dereferences
policy memory from the unloaded module.

Take a reference to the target family's module when the dump starts.
Drop it from the error and done paths.  This matches the lifetime for which
the dump context retains the family and policy pointers.

Fixes: d07dcf9aadd6 ("netlink: add infrastructure to expose policies to userspace")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: XingWang Xiang <v3rdant.xiang@gmail.com>
---
 net/netlink/genetlink.c | 21 +++++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/netlink/genetlink.c b/net/netlink/genetlink.c
index 0da39eaed..41d37442f 100644
--- a/net/netlink/genetlink.c
+++ b/net/netlink/genetlink.c
@@ -1513,6 +1513,7 @@ struct ctrl_dump_policy_ctx {
 	struct netlink_policy_dump_state *state;
 	const struct genl_family *rt;
 	struct genl_op_iter *op_iter;
+	struct module *owner;
 	u32 op;
 	u16 fam_id;
 	u8 dump_map:1,
@@ -1555,6 +1556,9 @@ static int ctrl_dumppolicy_start(struct netlink_callback *cb)
 		return -ENOENT;
 
 	ctx->rt = rt;
+	ctx->owner = rt->module;
+	if (!try_module_get(ctx->owner))
+		return -ENOENT;
 
 	if (tb[CTRL_ATTR_OP]) {
 		struct genl_split_ops doit, dump;
@@ -1565,7 +1569,7 @@ static int ctrl_dumppolicy_start(struct netlink_callback *cb)
 		err = genl_get_cmd_both(ctx->op, rt, &doit, &dump);
 		if (err) {
 			NL_SET_BAD_ATTR(cb->extack, tb[CTRL_ATTR_OP]);
-			return err;
+			goto err_put_owner;
 		}
 
 		if (doit.policy) {
@@ -1583,16 +1587,20 @@ static int ctrl_dumppolicy_start(struct netlink_callback *cb)
 				goto err_free_state;
 		}
 
-		if (!ctx->state)
-			return -ENODATA;
+		if (!ctx->state) {
+			err = -ENODATA;
+			goto err_put_owner;
+		}
 
 		ctx->dump_map = 1;
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	ctx->op_iter = kmalloc_obj(*ctx->op_iter);
-	if (!ctx->op_iter)
-		return -ENOMEM;
+	if (!ctx->op_iter) {
+		err = -ENOMEM;
+		goto err_put_owner;
+	}
 
 	genl_op_iter_init(rt, ctx->op_iter);
 	ctx->dump_map = genl_op_iter_next(ctx->op_iter);
@@ -1624,6 +1632,8 @@ static int ctrl_dumppolicy_start(struct netlink_callback *cb)
 	netlink_policy_dump_free(ctx->state);
 err_free_op_iter:
 	kfree(ctx->op_iter);
+err_put_owner:
+	module_put(ctx->owner);
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -1760,6 +1770,7 @@ static int ctrl_dumppolicy_done(struct netlink_callback *cb)
 
 	kfree(ctx->op_iter);
 	netlink_policy_dump_free(ctx->state);
+	module_put(ctx->owner);
 	return 0;
 }
 
-- 
2.52.0

Re: [PATCH net] genetlink: pin family module during policy dump

[patchwork-bot+netdevbpf]

Hello:

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

On Wed,  2 Sep 2026 17:43:17 +0900 you wrote:
> The generic netlink controller's policy dump keeps pointers to the target
> family's operation and policy tables in its callback state.  A dump may be
> split across multiple skbs and remain pending after the initial request.
> 
> Netlink pins the module which owns the dump callback, but in this case
> that is the controller's owner rather than the target family's owner.  The
> target family can consequently be unregistered and its module unloaded
> while a policy dump is pending.  Advancing the dump then dereferences
> policy memory from the unloaded module.
> 
> [...]

Here is the summary with links:
  - [net] genetlink: pin family module during policy dump
    https://git.kernel.org/netdev/net/c/6a1094c34d17

You are awesome, thank you!
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