Re: [PATCH net v3] mptcp: fix soft lockup in mptcp_recvmsg()

[Matthieu Baerts <matttbe@kernel.org>]

Hi Li,

On 27/03/2026 08:55, Li Xiasong wrote:
> syzbot reported a soft lockup in mptcp_recvmsg() [0].
> 
> When receiving data with MSG_PEEK | MSG_WAITALL flags, the skb is not
> removed from the sk_receive_queue. This causes sk_wait_data() to always
> find available data and never perform actual waiting, leading to a soft
> lockup.
> 
> Fix this by adding a 'last' parameter to track the last peeked skb.
> This allows sk_wait_data() to make informed waiting decisions and prevent
> infinite loops when MSG_PEEK is used.

Thank you for the new version!

(...)

> diff --git a/net/mptcp/protocol.c b/net/mptcp/protocol.c
> index cf1852b99963..60f6e6a189b7 100644
> --- a/net/mptcp/protocol.c
> +++ b/net/mptcp/protocol.c

(...)

> @@ -2343,7 +2347,7 @@ static int mptcp_recvmsg(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg, size_t len,
>  
>  		pr_debug("block timeout %ld\n", timeo);
>  		mptcp_cleanup_rbuf(msk, copied);
> -		err = sk_wait_data(sk, &timeo, NULL);
> +		err = sk_wait_data(sk, &timeo, last);

sashiko is saying [1] this:

> Will this cause a soft lockup if all socket buffers in the receive queue
> have already been peeked?
>
> If the queue only contains already-peeked buffers, the loop in
> __mptcp_recvmsg_mskq() skips them using a continue statement:
>
>     if (flags & MSG_PEEK) {
>         /* skip already peeked skbs */
>         if (total_data_len + data_len <= copied_total) {
>             total_data_len += data_len;
>             continue;
>         }
>
> This means last is never assigned and remains NULL.
>
> When last is NULL, sk_wait_data() checks if the receive queue tail is
> not equal to NULL. Since the queue still contains the unconsumed buffers,
> this evaluates to true and sk_wait_data() returns immediately without
> sleeping.
>
> Does this result in an infinite loop here when MSG_PEEK and MSG_WAITALL
> are used together?

I *think* that's a false positive. When MSG_PEEK and MSG_WAITALL are
used together, sk_wait_data() will be call with "last" != NULL and will
be unblocked when a new data packet (skb->len > 0) is added to the
queue. In other words, when walking the queue in __mptcp_recvmsg_mskq,
it should never be full of already-peeked skb. Or did I miss something?

If yes, "*last = skb" could be added before the "continue".

If no, this patch can be applied in 'net' directly:

Reviewed-by: Matthieu Baerts (NGI0) <matttbe@kernel.org>


[1]
https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260327075544.3622851-1-lixiasong1%40huawei.com

Cheers,
Matt
-- 
Sponsored by the NGI0 Core fund.