https://netdev-ai.bots.linux.dev/sashiko/#/patchset/20260821094813.201800-1-sw%40simonwunderlich.de?part=3 [...] > Discovered by: gpt-5-6-sol · Missed by: opus-5, sashiko-gemini · Confirmed by: opus-5 > This isn't a bug introduced by this patch, but since the patch touches > exactly this function: is the ownership test in the loop just above the > removed hunk sufficiently synchronized? > > net/batman-adv/bridge_loop_avoidance.c:batadv_bla_del_backbone_claims() { > ... > spin_lock_bh(list_lock); > hlist_for_each_entry_safe(claim, node_tmp, head, hash_entry) { > if (claim->backbone_gw != backbone_gw) > continue; > > hlist_del_rcu(&claim->hash_entry); > batadv_claim_put(claim); > } > spin_unlock_bh(list_lock); > ... > } > > claim->backbone_gw is read here with only the claim hash bucket list_lock > held, but the writer in batadv_bla_add_claim() only takes > claim->backbone_lock: > > net/batman-adv/bridge_loop_avoidance.c:batadv_bla_add_claim() { > ... > /* replace backbone_gw atomically and adjust reference counters */ > spin_lock_bh(&claim->backbone_lock); > if (claim->backbone_gw != backbone_gw) { > changed = true; > > old_backbone_gw = claim->backbone_gw; > kref_get(&backbone_gw->refcount); > claim->backbone_gw = backbone_gw; > } else { > ... > } > > The two paths can run at the same time: > > CPU0 (workqueue) > batadv_bla_periodic_work() > batadv_bla_purge_backbone_gw() > batadv_bla_del_backbone_claims() /* reads claim->backbone_gw */ > hlist_del_rcu(&backbone_gw->hash_entry); > > CPU1 (rx/tx softirq) > batadv_bla_rx() / batadv_bla_tx() > batadv_bla_process_claim() > batadv_handle_claim() > batadv_bla_add_claim() /* writes claim->backbone_gw */ > > The same interleaving looks reachable purely from received frames, since > batadv_handle_announce() calls batadv_bla_send_request() on a CRC mismatch, > which also calls batadv_bla_del_backbone_claims(). > > If the purge observes the stale owner after a racing CLAIM frame has > reassigned the claim to another backbone gateway, does it unlink a claim > that is now legitimately owned by that other gateway, so the next mesh frame > from that client MAC makes batadv_bla_rx() claim it locally and two backbone > gateways forward broadcast/multicast into the bridged LAN until the > claim/CRC request protocol resynchronizes? > > In the opposite order, if the purge observes the newly written owner and > skips a claim that was just reassigned to the gateway being purged, the > claim survives pointing at a backbone gw that is removed from the backbone > hash immediately afterwards. Since batadv_bla_purge_claims() only expires > claims owned by our own address, can such an entry linger and make > batadv_bla_tx() keep dropping multicast frames from that client MAC until a > unicast mesh frame triggers a re-claim? > > Refcounting and the CRC XOR accounting do stay balanced here, because > batadv_claim_release() re-reads the owner under claim->backbone_lock, so > this looks like a claim table state consistency issue rather than memory > corruption. Minor problem, self healing and not about this patch. Not sure if Simon wants to fix it. > The code is unchanged at the end of the series > (b32d9323b268). Would taking claim->backbone_lock around the ownership > test, or comparing against a value read under that lock, be appropriate? No, this is wrong. You would then complain that this patch is having a TOCTOU problem. I will not fall for this trap. Regards, Sven