Netdev List
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>
To: anthony.l.nguyen@intel.com
Cc: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>,
	davem@davemloft.net, pabeni@redhat.com, edumazet@google.com,
	andrew+netdev@lunn.ch, netdev@vger.kernel.org, doruk@0sec.ai,
	michal.swiatkowski@linux.intel.com, grzegorz.nitka@intel.com,
	horms@kernel.org, przemyslaw.kitszel@intel.com,
	stable@vger.kernel.org, aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com,
	marcin.szycik@linux.intel.com
Subject: Re: [PATCH net 09/10] i40e: fix netdev leak in i40e_vsi_setup() error paths
Date: Thu,  6 Aug 2026 10:20:51 -0700	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260806172051.2936459-1-kuba@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260804222205.1580328-10-anthony.l.nguyen@intel.com>

This is an AI-generated review of your patch. The human sending this
email has considered the AI review valid, or at least plausible.
---
i40e: fix netdev leak in i40e_vsi_setup() error paths

This moves the free_netdev() call out of the netdev_registered block at
err_msix and into a new unconditional block at err_netdev, so that the
netdev allocated by i40e_config_netdev() is released when
i40e_netif_set_realnum_tx_rx_queues(), i40e_devlink_create_port() or
register_netdev() fail.

> diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_main.c
> index 0ac1be6289f6b..4f0f7626605ba 100644
> --- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_main.c
> +++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_main.c
> @@ -14494,13 +14494,15 @@ struct i40e_vsi *i40e_vsi_setup(struct i40e_pf *pf, u8 type,
>  	if (vsi->netdev_registered) {
>  		vsi->netdev_registered = false;
>  		unregister_netdev(vsi->netdev);
> -		free_netdev(vsi->netdev);
> -		vsi->netdev = NULL;
>  	}
>  err_dl_port:
>  	if (vsi->type == I40E_VSI_MAIN)
>  		i40e_devlink_destroy_port(pf);
>  err_netdev:
> +	if (vsi->netdev) {
> +		free_netdev(vsi->netdev);
> +		vsi->netdev = NULL;
> +	}

[Severity: Medium]
On the newly covered paths the netdev was never registered, but the VSI
is already published in pf->vsi[vsi->idx] by i40e_vsi_mem_alloc(), and
i40e_config_netdev() has already run i40e_add_mac_filter() for the
unicast and broadcast addresses, which does:

drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_main.c:i40e_add_filter() {
	...
	vsi->flags |= I40E_VSI_FLAG_FILTER_CHANGED;
	set_bit(__I40E_MACVLAN_SYNC_PENDING, vsi->back->state);
	...
}

The service work item then walks pf->vsi[] with no lock:

i40e_sync_filters_subtask() {
	i40e_pf_for_each_vsi(pf, v, vsi) {
		if ((vsi->flags & I40E_VSI_FLAG_FILTER_CHANGED) &&
		    !test_bit(__I40E_VSI_RELEASING, vsi->state)) {
			int ret = i40e_sync_vsi_filters(vsi);
	...
}

and i40e_sync_vsi_filters() dereferences the netdev:

i40e_sync_vsi_filters() {
	...
	if (vsi->netdev) {
		changed_flags = vsi->current_netdev_flags ^ vsi->netdev->flags;
		vsi->current_netdev_flags = vsi->netdev->flags;
	}
	...
}

Can the service task load vsi->netdev, pass the NULL test, and then
dereference it after this free_netdev()?  The error path does not set
__I40E_VSI_RELEASING first, which is the ordering i40e_vsi_release()
uses before its own free_netdev(), and the vsi->netdev = NULL store
carries no lock or barrier.

This is reachable at runtime for I40E_VSI_VMDQ2 VSIs created from
debugfs, where i40e_dbg_command_write() calls
i40e_vsi_setup(pf, I40E_VSI_VMDQ2, vsi_seid, 0) while the service work
item is live.  Would setting __I40E_VSI_RELEASING (or clearing
I40E_VSI_FLAG_FILTER_CHANGED / unpublishing pf->vsi[idx] under
pf->switch_mutex) before dropping the netdev close this window, mirroring
i40e_vsi_release()?

The exposure window is short, since the following i40e_vsi_clear() also
kfree()s the still-published struct i40e_vsi on these same paths, which
is a pre-existing unsynchronised teardown.

[Severity: High]
This isn't a bug introduced by this patch, but the other in-tree caller of
i40e_config_netdev() does not follow the ownership rule this hunk
codifies.  In i40e_init_recovery_mode() the netdev is never released:

	err = i40e_config_netdev(vsi);
	if (err)
		goto err_switch_setup;
	err = register_netdev(vsi->netdev);
	if (err)
		goto err_switch_setup;
	vsi->netdev_registered = true;
	i40e_dbg_pf_init(pf);

	err = i40e_setup_misc_vector_for_recovery_mode(pf);
	if (err)
		goto err_switch_setup;

If register_netdev() fails, is the net_device allocated by
alloc_etherdev_mq() inside i40e_config_netdev() leaked?  i40e_probe()
does "return i40e_init_recovery_mode(pf, hw);", so i40e_remove() never
runs for the failed probe and nothing later frees it.

The case where register_netdev() succeeded and
i40e_setup_misc_vector_for_recovery_mode() then fails looks worse, since
err_switch_setup never calls unregister_netdev():

err_switch_setup:
	i40e_reset_interrupt_capability(pf);
	timer_shutdown_sync(&pf->service_timer);
	i40e_shutdown_adminq(hw);
	iounmap(hw->hw_addr);
	pci_release_mem_regions(pf->pdev);
	pci_disable_device(pf->pdev);
	i40e_free_pf(pf);

	return err;

i40e_free_pf() is devlink_free() on the devlink whose priv is the struct
i40e_pf, so the netdev stays registered in the netns while its
netdev_priv()->vsi->back has been freed and hw->hw_addr has been
iounmapped.  Can a later "ip link set <dev> up" on the leftover interface
reach i40e_open() and touch the freed pf and the unmapped register
window?  The debugfs directory created by i40e_dbg_pf_init(pf) is left in
place pointing at the freed pf as well.

Would it make sense to fix that call site in the same series, so both
users of i40e_config_netdev() release the netdev consistently?

  reply	other threads:[~2026-08-06 17:20 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 21+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-08-04 22:21 [PATCH net 00/10][pull request] Intel Wired LAN Driver Updates 2026-08-04 (iavf, i40e, ice, igc) Tony Nguyen
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 01/10] iavf: return EBUSY if reset in progress or not ready during MAC change Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 02/10] i40e: skip unnecessary VF reset when setting trust Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 03/10] iavf: send MAC change request synchronously Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 04/10] ice: skip unnecessary VF reset when setting trust Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 05/10] ice: move ice_vsi_realloc_stat_arrays() up Tony Nguyen
2026-08-04 22:21 ` [PATCH net 06/10] ice: fix stats array overflow via proper realloc Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:22 ` [PATCH net 07/10] ice: eswitch: fix use-after-free of metadata_dst in repr release Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:22 ` [PATCH net 08/10] i40e: fix memcmp of pointer in i40e_hw_set_dcb_config() Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-04 22:22 ` [PATCH net 09/10] i40e: fix netdev leak in i40e_vsi_setup() error paths Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:20   ` Jakub Kicinski [this message]
2026-08-04 22:22 ` [PATCH net 10/10] igc: fix netdev not re-attached after resume if interface is down Tony Nguyen
2026-08-06 17:19 ` [PATCH net 00/10][pull request] Intel Wired LAN Driver Updates 2026-08-04 (iavf, i40e, ice, igc) Jakub Kicinski
2026-08-06 17:30 ` patchwork-bot+netdevbpf

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20260806172051.2936459-1-kuba@kernel.org \
    --to=kuba@kernel.org \
    --cc=aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com \
    --cc=andrew+netdev@lunn.ch \
    --cc=anthony.l.nguyen@intel.com \
    --cc=davem@davemloft.net \
    --cc=doruk@0sec.ai \
    --cc=edumazet@google.com \
    --cc=grzegorz.nitka@intel.com \
    --cc=horms@kernel.org \
    --cc=marcin.szycik@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=michal.swiatkowski@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=netdev@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=pabeni@redhat.com \
    --cc=przemyslaw.kitszel@intel.com \
    --cc=stable@vger.kernel.org \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox