[PATCH] tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: Fix uninitialized stats on allocation failure

[PATCH] tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: Fix uninitialized stats on allocation failure

[luoliang]

From: Liang Luo <luoliang@kylinos.cn>

In fcg_read_stats(), the memset() that zeroes the output @stats array
sits after the calloc() failure check. When calloc() fails, the
function returns without writing @stats.

The caller in main() declares acc_stats uninitialized, passes it as
the @stats argument, and then reads it unconditionally:

    __u64 acc_stats[FCG_NR_STATS];
    fcg_read_stats(skel, acc_stats);
    stats[i] = acc_stats[i] - last_stats[i];   // reads garbage

Because fcg_read_stats() returns void, the caller cannot detect the
failure. Reading the uninitialized array is undefined behavior, and
the garbage is further copied into last_stats via memcpy(), corrupting
the baseline used by the next interval.

This regression was introduced by commit cabd76bbc036 ("tools/sched_ext:
scx_flatcg: fix potential stack overflow from VLA in fcg_read_stats"),
which replaced the VLA with calloc() and inserted the failure check
before the existing memset().

Move the memset() above the calloc() failure check so @stats is always
zeroed regardless of allocation outcome.

Fixes: cabd76bbc036 ("tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: fix potential stack overflow from VLA in fcg_read_stats")
Signed-off-by: Liang Luo <luoliang@kylinos.cn>
---
 tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c b/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
index de2bef86d64d..7799782b76d1 100644
--- a/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
+++ b/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
@@ -105,12 +105,12 @@ static void fcg_read_stats(struct scx_flatcg *skel, __u64 *stats)
 	__u64 *cnts;
 	__u32 idx;
 
+	memset(stats, 0, sizeof(stats[0]) * FCG_NR_STATS);
+
 	cnts = calloc(skel->rodata->nr_cpus, sizeof(__u64));
 	if (!cnts)
 		return;
 
-	memset(stats, 0, sizeof(stats[0]) * FCG_NR_STATS);
-
 	for (idx = 0; idx < FCG_NR_STATS; idx++) {
 		int ret, cpu;
 
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH] tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: Fix uninitialized stats on allocation failure

[Andrea Righi]

Hi Liang,

On Mon, Jul 13, 2026 at 03:18:08PM +0800, luoliang@kylinos.cn wrote:
> From: Liang Luo <luoliang@kylinos.cn>
> 
> In fcg_read_stats(), the memset() that zeroes the output @stats array
> sits after the calloc() failure check. When calloc() fails, the
> function returns without writing @stats.
> 
> The caller in main() declares acc_stats uninitialized, passes it as
> the @stats argument, and then reads it unconditionally:
> 
>     __u64 acc_stats[FCG_NR_STATS];
>     fcg_read_stats(skel, acc_stats);
>     stats[i] = acc_stats[i] - last_stats[i];   // reads garbage
> 
> Because fcg_read_stats() returns void, the caller cannot detect the
> failure. Reading the uninitialized array is undefined behavior, and
> the garbage is further copied into last_stats via memcpy(), corrupting
> the baseline used by the next interval.
> 
> This regression was introduced by commit cabd76bbc036 ("tools/sched_ext:
> scx_flatcg: fix potential stack overflow from VLA in fcg_read_stats"),
> which replaced the VLA with calloc() and inserted the failure check
> before the existing memset().
> 
> Move the memset() above the calloc() failure check so @stats is always
> zeroed regardless of allocation outcome.
> 
> Fixes: cabd76bbc036 ("tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: fix potential stack overflow from VLA in fcg_read_stats")
> Signed-off-by: Liang Luo <luoliang@kylinos.cn>

Makes sense.

Reviewed-by: Andrea Righi <arighi@nvidia.com>

Thanks,
-Andrea

> ---
>  tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c | 4 ++--
>  1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c b/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
> index de2bef86d64d..7799782b76d1 100644
> --- a/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
> +++ b/tools/sched_ext/scx_flatcg.c
> @@ -105,12 +105,12 @@ static void fcg_read_stats(struct scx_flatcg *skel, __u64 *stats)
>  	__u64 *cnts;
>  	__u32 idx;
>  
> +	memset(stats, 0, sizeof(stats[0]) * FCG_NR_STATS);
> +
>  	cnts = calloc(skel->rodata->nr_cpus, sizeof(__u64));
>  	if (!cnts)
>  		return;
>  
> -	memset(stats, 0, sizeof(stats[0]) * FCG_NR_STATS);
> -
>  	for (idx = 0; idx < FCG_NR_STATS; idx++) {
>  		int ret, cpu;
>  
> -- 
> 2.43.0
> 

Re: [PATCH] tools/sched_ext: scx_flatcg: Fix uninitialized stats on allocation failure

[Tejun Heo]

Hello, Liang.

Applied to sched_ext/for-7.3.

Thanks.
--
tejun