[PATCH AUTOSEL 6.17-5.15] ntfs3: pretend $Extend records as regular files

[PATCH AUTOSEL 6.17-5.15] ntfs3: pretend $Extend records as regular files

[Sasha Levin]

From: Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@I-love.SAKURA.ne.jp>

[ Upstream commit 4e8011ffec79717e5fdac43a7e79faf811a384b7 ]

Since commit af153bb63a33 ("vfs: catch invalid modes in may_open()")
requires any inode be one of S_IFDIR/S_IFLNK/S_IFREG/S_IFCHR/S_IFBLK/
S_IFIFO/S_IFSOCK type, use S_IFREG for $Extend records.

Reported-by: syzbot <syzbot+895c23f6917da440ed0d@syzkaller.appspotmail.com>
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=895c23f6917da440ed0d
Signed-off-by: Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@I-love.SAKURA.ne.jp>
Signed-off-by: Konstantin Komarov <almaz.alexandrovich@paragon-software.com>
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---

LLM Generated explanations, may be completely bogus:

YES

- Fixes a real bug triggered by VFS invariants: After vfs change
  af153bb63a33 (“vfs: catch invalid modes in may_open()”), inodes must
  have a valid S_IFMT type. ntfs3 could leave $Extend records with an
  invalid/zero mode, causing may_open() to reject or warn on opens. The
  patch makes these records appear as regular files, satisfying the VFS
  type check.
- Small, local, and low-risk change: Only one code path is touched in a
  single file, with a one-line assignment in a narrow case.
  - In the $Extend-specific branch in `ntfs_read_mft()`, the code now
    sets a valid file type: `mode = S_IFREG;` immediately after
    identifying an $Extend record and setting inode ops
    (fs/ntfs3/inode.c:470-474).
  - The mode is then stored into the inode as usual (`inode->i_mode =
    mode;`, fs/ntfs3/inode.c:488), ensuring the inode passes VFS type
    checks.
- Constrained to special metadata records: The branch only triggers when
  the filename references the $Extend MFT record (`fname->home.low ==
  cpu_to_le32(MFT_REC_EXTEND)` and `fname->home.seq ==
  cpu_to_le16(MFT_REC_EXTEND)`, fs/ntfs3/inode.c:470-471). Regular
  files/dirs/symlinks/special devices remain unaffected.
- Preserves ntfs3 behavior while satisfying VFS: The $Extend branch
  still sets only `i_op = &ntfs_file_inode_operations`
  (fs/ntfs3/inode.c:473), unlike the normal regular-file branch which
  also sets `i_fop` and `a_ops` (fs/ntfs3/inode.c:456-465). So $Extend
  records won’t gain full file operations; they simply have a valid
  S_IFMT for VFS. This minimizes behavioral change while fixing the bug.
- No architectural changes or cross-subsystem impact: The patch does not
  alter VFS or broader kernel APIs; it’s contained within ntfs3’s inode
  setup logic.
- Aligns with stable rules:
  - Important bugfix reported by syzbot (Closes: the linked syzkaller
    bug).
  - Minimal change and clear rationale.
  - Low regression risk and limited scope (ntfs3 only).
- Forward/backward compatibility: Even on trees without the may_open()
  enforcement, setting a valid type for these metadata inodes is
  harmless and arguably improves correctness. On trees with
  af153bb63a33, it avoids spurious failures/warnings.

Conclusion: This is a targeted bugfix to comply with VFS invariants and
prevent failures when interacting with $Extend records. It’s safe and
appropriate to backport to stable kernels that include ntfs3 and the
may_open() invariant check.

 fs/ntfs3/inode.c | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/fs/ntfs3/inode.c b/fs/ntfs3/inode.c
index 37cbbee7fa580..b08b009121653 100644
--- a/fs/ntfs3/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ntfs3/inode.c
@@ -471,6 +471,7 @@ static struct inode *ntfs_read_mft(struct inode *inode,
 		   fname->home.seq == cpu_to_le16(MFT_REC_EXTEND)) {
 		/* Records in $Extend are not a files or general directories. */
 		inode->i_op = &ntfs_file_inode_operations;
+		mode = S_IFREG;
 	} else {
 		err = -EINVAL;
 		goto out;
-- 
2.51.0

Re: [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.17-5.15] ntfs3: pretend $Extend records as regular files

[Tetsuo Handa]

On 2025/10/26 0:55, Sasha Levin wrote:
> Conclusion: This is a targeted bugfix to comply with VFS invariants and
> prevent failures when interacting with $Extend records. It’s safe and
> appropriate to backport to stable kernels that include ntfs3 and the
> may_open() invariant check.

Please consider waiting for
https://lkml.kernel.org/r/tencent_F24B651BC22523BA92BB5A337D9E2A1B5F08@qq.com
to arrive at linux.git before backporting "ntfs3: pretend $Extend records
as regular files".

Re: [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.17-5.15] ntfs3: pretend $Extend records as regular files

[Sasha Levin]

On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 05:12:23PM +0900, Tetsuo Handa wrote:
>On 2025/10/26 0:55, Sasha Levin wrote:
>> Conclusion: This is a targeted bugfix to comply with VFS invariants and
>> prevent failures when interacting with $Extend records. It’s safe and
>> appropriate to backport to stable kernels that include ntfs3 and the
>> may_open() invariant check.
>
>Please consider waiting for
>https://lkml.kernel.org/r/tencent_F24B651BC22523BA92BB5A337D9E2A1B5F08@qq.com
>to arrive at linux.git before backporting "ntfs3: pretend $Extend records
>as regular files".

Looks like that fix still didn't land, so I'll drop this patch.

-- 
Thanks,
Sasha