atomisp_v4l2_framebuffer_to_css_frame() allocates memory for
temporary variable raw_black_frame, which must be released via
ia_css_frame_free() before the function returns. However, if
sh_css_set_black_frame() fails, the function returns immediately without
performing this cleanup, leading to a memory leak.

Fix this by assigning the error code to ret and allowing the code to
fall through to the ia_css_frame_free() call.

The bug was originally detected on v6.13-rc1 using an experimental
static analysis tool we are developing, and we have verified that the
issue persists in the latest mainline kernel. The tool is based on the
LLVM framework and is specifically designed to detect memory management
issues. It is currently under active development and not yet publicly
available.

We performed build testing on x86_64 with allyesconfig. Since triggering
this error path in atomisp requires specific Intel Atom ISP hardware and
firmware, we were unable to perform runtime testing and instead verified
the fix according to the code logic.

Fixes: 85b606e02ad7 ("media: atomisp: get rid of a bunch of other wrappers")
Signed-off-by: Zilin Guan <zilin@seu.edu.cn>
---
Changes in v2:
- Add detailed explanation about the tool and verification method.

 drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c b/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c
index 3a4eb4f6d3be..208ff85cd7fb 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c
@@ -3369,7 +3369,7 @@ int atomisp_fixed_pattern_table(struct atomisp_sub_device *asd,
 
 	if (sh_css_set_black_frame(asd->stream_env[ATOMISP_INPUT_STREAM_GENERAL].stream,
 				   raw_black_frame) != 0)
-		return -ENOMEM;
+		ret = -ENOMEM;
 
 	ia_css_frame_free(raw_black_frame);
 	return ret;
-- 
2.34.1

On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 3:59 PM Zilin Guan <zilin@seu.edu.cn> wrote:
>
> atomisp_v4l2_framebuffer_to_css_frame() allocates memory for
> temporary variable raw_black_frame, which must be released via
> ia_css_frame_free() before the function returns. However, if
> sh_css_set_black_frame() fails, the function returns immediately without
> performing this cleanup, leading to a memory leak.
>
> Fix this by assigning the error code to ret and allowing the code to
> fall through to the ia_css_frame_free() call.
>
> The bug was originally detected on v6.13-rc1 using an experimental
> static analysis tool we are developing, and we have verified that the
> issue persists in the latest mainline kernel. The tool is based on the
> LLVM framework and is specifically designed to detect memory management
> issues. It is currently under active development and not yet publicly
> available.
>
> We performed build testing on x86_64 with allyesconfig. Since triggering
> this error path in atomisp requires specific Intel Atom ISP hardware and
> firmware, we were unable to perform runtime testing and instead verified
> the fix according to the code logic.

...

> +++ b/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c
> @@ -3369,7 +3369,7 @@ int atomisp_fixed_pattern_table(struct atomisp_sub_device *asd,
>
>         if (sh_css_set_black_frame(asd->stream_env[ATOMISP_INPUT_STREAM_GENERAL].stream,
>                                    raw_black_frame) != 0)
> -               return -ENOMEM;
> +               ret = -ENOMEM;
>
>         ia_css_frame_free(raw_black_frame);
>         return ret;


No, instead assign the returned code to ret to begin with

  ret = sh_css_set_black_frame(...);
  ia_css_frame_free(raw_black_frame);
  return ret;

-- 
With Best Regards,
Andy Shevchenko

On Tue, Feb 03, 2026 at 10:12:34AM +0200, Andy Shevchenko wrote:
> On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 3:59 PM Zilin Guan <zilin@seu.edu.cn> wrote:
> >
> > atomisp_v4l2_framebuffer_to_css_frame() allocates memory for
> > temporary variable raw_black_frame, which must be released via
> > ia_css_frame_free() before the function returns. However, if
> > sh_css_set_black_frame() fails, the function returns immediately without
> > performing this cleanup, leading to a memory leak.
> >
> > Fix this by assigning the error code to ret and allowing the code to
> > fall through to the ia_css_frame_free() call.
> >
> > The bug was originally detected on v6.13-rc1 using an experimental
> > static analysis tool we are developing, and we have verified that the
> > issue persists in the latest mainline kernel. The tool is based on the
> > LLVM framework and is specifically designed to detect memory management
> > issues. It is currently under active development and not yet publicly
> > available.
> >
> > We performed build testing on x86_64 with allyesconfig. Since triggering
> > this error path in atomisp requires specific Intel Atom ISP hardware and
> > firmware, we were unable to perform runtime testing and instead verified
> > the fix according to the code logic.
> 
> ...
> 
> > +++ b/drivers/staging/media/atomisp/pci/atomisp_cmd.c
> > @@ -3369,7 +3369,7 @@ int atomisp_fixed_pattern_table(struct atomisp_sub_device *asd,
> >
> >         if (sh_css_set_black_frame(asd->stream_env[ATOMISP_INPUT_STREAM_GENERAL].stream,
> >                                    raw_black_frame) != 0)
> > -               return -ENOMEM;
> > +               ret = -ENOMEM;
> >
> >         ia_css_frame_free(raw_black_frame);
> >         return ret;
> 
> 
> No, instead assign the returned code to ret to begin with
> 
>   ret = sh_css_set_black_frame(...);
>   ia_css_frame_free(raw_black_frame);
>   return ret;
> 
> -- 
> With Best Regards,
> Andy Shevchenko

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the suggestion. Assigning the return value directly to ret is 
indeed cleaner.

I will update the code as suggested and send v3.

Best regards,
Zilin Guan