Re: [PATCH net] net: ipv6: fix NOREF dst use in seg6 and rpl lwtunnels

Simon Horman
2026-04-21T14:25:44Z

On Tue, Apr 21, 2026 at 11:47:35AM +0200, Andrea Mayer wrote:
> seg6_input_core() and rpl_input() call ip6_route_input() which sets a
> NOREF dst on the skb, then pass it to dst_cache_set_ip6() invoking
> dst_hold() unconditionally.
> On PREEMPT_RT, ksoftirqd is preemptible and a higher-priority task can
> release the underlying pcpu_rt between the lookup and the caching
> through a concurrent FIB lookup on a shared nexthop.
> Simplified race sequence:
>
> ksoftirqd/X higher-prio task (same CPU X)
> ----------- --------------------------------
> seg6_input_core(,skb)/rpl_input(skb)
> dst_cache_get()
> -> miss
> ip6_route_input(skb)
> -> ip6_pol_route(,skb,flags)
> [RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF in flags]
> -> FIB lookup resolves fib6_nh
> [nhid=N route]
> -> rt6_make_pcpu_route()
> [creates pcpu_rt, refcount=1]
> pcpu_rt->sernum = fib6_sernum
> [fib6_sernum=W]
> -> cmpxchg(fib6_nh.rt6i_pcpu,
> NULL, pcpu_rt)
> [slot was empty, store succeeds]
> -> skb_dst_set_noref(skb, dst)
> [dst is pcpu_rt, refcount still 1]
>
> rt_genid_bump_ipv6()
> -> bumps fib6_sernum
> [fib6_sernum from W to Z]
> ip6_route_output()
> -> ip6_pol_route()
> -> FIB lookup resolves fib6_nh
> [nhid=N]
> -> rt6_get_pcpu_route()
> pcpu_rt->sernum != fib6_sernum
> [W <> Z, stale]
> -> prev = xchg(rt6i_pcpu, NULL)
> -> dst_release(prev)
> [prev is pcpu_rt,
> refcount 1->0, dead]
>
> dst = skb_dst(skb)
> [dst is the dead pcpu_rt]
> dst_cache_set_ip6(dst)
> -> dst_hold() on dead dst
> -> WARN / use-after-free
>
> For the race to occur, ksoftirqd must be preemptible (PREEMPT_RT without
> PREEMPT_RT_NEEDS_BH_LOCK) and a concurrent task must be able to release
> the pcpu_rt. Shared nexthop objects provide such a path, as two routes
> pointing to the same nhid share the same fib6_nh and its rt6i_pcpu
> entry.
>
> Fix seg6_input_core() and rpl_input() by calling skb_dst_force() after
> ip6_route_input() to force the NOREF dst into a refcounted one before
> caching.
> The output path is not affected as ip6_route_output() already returns a
> refcounted dst.
>
> Fixes: af4a2209b134 ("ipv6: sr: use dst_cache in seg6_input")
> Fixes: a7a29f9c361f ("net: ipv6: add rpl sr tunnel")
> Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
> Signed-off-by: Andrea Mayer <andrea.mayer@uniroma2.it>

Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>