[PATCH net v3] ipv6: validate extension header length before copying to cmsg

Qi Tang
2026-04-23T10:32:50Z

ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl() builds IPV6_{HOPOPTS,DSTOPTS,RTHDR}
cmsgs (and their IPV6_2292* legacy counterparts) by trusting the
on-wire hdrlen byte (ptr[1]) when computing the put_cmsg() length.
The length was validated only at parse time (ipv6_parse_hopopts(),
etc.). An nftables payload-write expression can rewrite hdrlen after
parsing and before the skb reaches recvmsg; the write itself is
in-bounds but put_cmsg() then reads up to ((hdrlen+1) << 3) = 2040
bytes from an 8-byte header. nftables is reachable from an
unprivileged user namespace, so this is an unprivileged
slab-out-of-bounds read:

BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in put_cmsg+0x3ac/0x540
put_cmsg+0x3ac/0x540
udpv6_recvmsg+0xca0/0x1250
sock_recvmsg+0xdf/0x190
____sys_recvmsg+0x1b1/0x620

Add ipv6_get_exthdr_len() which computes the extension header length
and validates it against skb_tail_pointer(skb), returning 0 on
failure. Extension headers are kept in the linear skb area by
pskb_may_pull() during input, so skb_tail_pointer() is the correct
bound.

Use ipv6_get_exthdr_len() at all non-AH call sites: the five
standalone cmsg blocks (HbH, 2292HbH, 2292DSTOPTS x2, 2292RTHDR)
and the three standard cases in the extension-header walk loop
(DSTOPTS, ROUTING, default). AH retains an inline bounds check
because its length formula differs ((ptr[1]+2)<<2).

When the walk loop detects a corrupted header, return from the
function instead of continuing to process later socket options.

Fixes: 1da177e4c3f4 ("Linux-2.6.12-rc2")
Signed-off-by: Qi Tang <tpluszz77@gmail.com>
---
Changes v2 -> v3:
- Resend as new thread (v2 was incorrectly sent as reply to v1)

Changes v1 -> v2 (Paolo Abeni):
- Factor repeated bounds-check + put_cmsg into ipv6_get_exthdr_len()
- Return from the function on corrupted walk-loop entry instead of
goto + empty label

v2: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20260423102255.3752004-1-tpluszz77@gmail.com/
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20260419150344.624673-1-tpluszz77@gmail.com/

net/ipv6/datagram.c | 46 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------
1 file changed, 38 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ipv6/datagram.c b/net/ipv6/datagram.c
index 972bf0426d59..0a7b74d5f402 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/datagram.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/datagram.c
@@ -617,6 +617,13 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_common_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
}
}

+static u16 ipv6_get_exthdr_len(const struct sk_buff *skb, const u8 *ptr)
+{
+ u16 len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+
+ return (ptr + len <= skb_tail_pointer(skb)) ? len : 0;
+}
+
void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
struct sk_buff *skb)
{
@@ -643,7 +650,10 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
/* HbH is allowed only once */
if (np->rxopt.bits.hopopts && (opt->flags & IP6SKB_HOPBYHOP)) {
u8 *ptr = nh + sizeof(struct ipv6hdr);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_HOPOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+
+ if (len)
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_HOPOPTS, len, ptr);
}

if (opt->lastopt &&
@@ -667,23 +677,31 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
switch (nexthdr) {
case IPPROTO_DSTOPTS:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
- len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+ if (!len)
+ return;
if (np->rxopt.bits.dstopts)
put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_DSTOPTS, len, ptr);
break;
case IPPROTO_ROUTING:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
- len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+ if (!len)
+ return;
if (np->rxopt.bits.srcrt)
put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_RTHDR, len, ptr);
break;
case IPPROTO_AH:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
len = (ptr[1] + 2) << 2;
+ if (ptr + len > skb_tail_pointer(skb))
+ return;
break;
default:
nexthdr = ptr[0];
- len = (ptr[1] + 1) << 3;
+ len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+ if (!len)
+ return;
break;
}

@@ -705,19 +723,31 @@ void ip6_datagram_recv_specific_ctl(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg,
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.ohopopts && (opt->flags & IP6SKB_HOPBYHOP)) {
u8 *ptr = nh + sizeof(struct ipv6hdr);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292HOPOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+
+ if (len)
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292HOPOPTS, len, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.odstopts && opt->dst0) {
u8 *ptr = nh + opt->dst0;
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+
+ if (len)
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, len, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.osrcrt && opt->srcrt) {
struct ipv6_rt_hdr *rthdr = (struct ipv6_rt_hdr *)(nh + opt->srcrt);
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292RTHDR, (rthdr->hdrlen+1) << 3, rthdr);
+ u16 len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, (u8 *)rthdr);
+
+ if (len)
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292RTHDR, len, rthdr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.odstopts && opt->dst1) {
u8 *ptr = nh + opt->dst1;
- put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, (ptr[1]+1)<<3, ptr);
+ u16 len = ipv6_get_exthdr_len(skb, ptr);
+
+ if (len)
+ put_cmsg(msg, SOL_IPV6, IPV6_2292DSTOPTS, len, ptr);
}
if (np->rxopt.bits.rxorigdstaddr) {
struct sockaddr_in6 sin6;
--
2.47.3