[BUG]
Running btrfs balance with a usage filter (-dusage=N) can trigger a
null-ptr-deref when metadata corruption causes a chunk to have no
corresponding block group in the in-memory cache:
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000070-0x0000000000000077]
RIP: 0010:chunk_usage_filter fs/btrfs/volumes.c:3874 [inline]
RIP: 0010:should_balance_chunk fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4018 [inline]
RIP: 0010:__btrfs_balance fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4172 [inline]
RIP: 0010:btrfs_balance+0x2024/0x42b0 fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4604
...
Call Trace:
btrfs_ioctl_balance fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:3577 [inline]
btrfs_ioctl+0x25cf/0x5b90 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:5313
vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
...
The bug is reproducible on next-20260312 with our dynamic metadata
fuzzing tool, which corrupts btrfs metadata at runtime.
[CAUSE]
Two separate data structures are involved:
1. The on-disk chunk tree, which records every chunk (logical address
space region) and is iterated by __btrfs_balance().
2. The in-memory block group cache (fs_info->block_group_cache_tree),
which is built at mount time by btrfs_read_block_groups() and holds
a struct btrfs_block_group for each chunk. This cache is what the
usage filter queries.
On a well-formed filesystem, these two are kept in 1:1 correspondence.
However, btrfs_read_block_groups() builds the cache from block group
items in the extent tree, not directly from the chunk tree. A corrupted
image can therefore contain a chunk item in the chunk tree whose
corresponding block group item is absent from the extent tree; that
chunk's block group is then never inserted into the in-memory cache.
When balance iterates the chunk tree and reaches such an orphaned chunk,
should_balance_chunk() calls chunk_usage_filter(), which queries the block
group cache:
cache = btrfs_lookup_block_group(fs_info, chunk_offset);
chunk_used = cache->used; /* cache may be NULL */
btrfs_lookup_block_group() returns NULL silently when no cached entry
covers chunk_offset. chunk_usage_filter() does not check the return value,
so the immediately following dereference of cache->used triggers the crash.
[FIX]
Add a NULL check after btrfs_lookup_block_group() in chunk_usage_filter().
When the lookup fails, emit a btrfs_err() message identifying the
affected bytenr and return -EUCLEAN to indicate filesystem corruption.
Since the filter function now has an error return path, change its
return type from bool to int (negative = error, 0 = do not balance,
positive = balance). Update should_balance_chunk() accordingly (bool ->
int, with the same convention) and add error propagation for the usage
filter path. Finally, handle the new negative return in __btrfs_balance()
by jumping to the existing error path, which aborts the balance
operation and reports the error to userspace.
After the fix, the same corruption is correctly detected and reported
by the filter, and the null-ptr-deref is no longer triggered.
Fixes: 5ce5b3c0916b ("Btrfs: usage filter")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: ZhengYuan Huang <gality369@gmail.com>
---
fs/btrfs/volumes.c | 28 +++++++++++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
index 2bec544d8ba3..7c21ac249383 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
@@ -3863,14 +3863,20 @@ static bool chunk_usage_range_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_of
return ret;
}
-static bool chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
- struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
+static int chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
+ struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
{
struct btrfs_block_group *cache;
u64 chunk_used, user_thresh;
bool ret = true;
cache = btrfs_lookup_block_group(fs_info, chunk_offset);
+ if (!cache) {
+ btrfs_err(fs_info,
+ "balance: chunk at bytenr %llu has no corresponding block group",
+ chunk_offset);
+ return -EUCLEAN;
+ }
chunk_used = cache->used;
if (bargs->usage_min == 0)
@@ -3986,8 +3992,8 @@ static bool chunk_soft_convert_filter(u64 chunk_type, struct btrfs_balance_args
return false;
}
-static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
- u64 chunk_offset)
+static int should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
+ u64 chunk_offset)
{
struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info = leaf->fs_info;
struct btrfs_balance_control *bctl = fs_info->balance_ctl;
@@ -4014,9 +4020,13 @@ static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk
}
/* usage filter */
- if ((bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) &&
- chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs)) {
- return false;
+ if (bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) {
+ int filter_ret = chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs);
+
+ if (filter_ret < 0)
+ return filter_ret;
+ if (filter_ret)
+ return false;
} else if ((bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE_RANGE) &&
chunk_usage_range_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs)) {
return false;
@@ -4172,6 +4182,10 @@ static int __btrfs_balance(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info)
ret = should_balance_chunk(leaf, chunk, found_key.offset);
btrfs_release_path(path);
+ if (ret < 0) {
+ mutex_unlock(&fs_info->reclaim_bgs_lock);
+ goto error;
+ }
if (!ret) {
mutex_unlock(&fs_info->reclaim_bgs_lock);
goto loop;
--
2.43.0On Sat, Mar 14, 2026 at 08:37:39PM +0800, ZhengYuan Huang wrote:
> [BUG]
> Running btrfs balance with a usage filter (-dusage=N) can trigger a
> null-ptr-deref when metadata corruption causes a chunk to have no
> corresponding block group in the in-memory cache:
>
> KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000070-0x0000000000000077]
> RIP: 0010:chunk_usage_filter fs/btrfs/volumes.c:3874 [inline]
> RIP: 0010:should_balance_chunk fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4018 [inline]
> RIP: 0010:__btrfs_balance fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4172 [inline]
> RIP: 0010:btrfs_balance+0x2024/0x42b0 fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4604
> ...
> Call Trace:
> btrfs_ioctl_balance fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:3577 [inline]
> btrfs_ioctl+0x25cf/0x5b90 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:5313
> vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
> ...
>
> The bug is reproducible on next-20260312 with our dynamic metadata
> fuzzing tool, which corrupts btrfs metadata at runtime.
So, for example you let a filesystem create some structures, let it
continue, damage/destroy the structures and then let it access again?
If this is supposed to emulate a corruption, either on media or in the
IO path then OK.
> [CAUSE]
> Two separate data structures are involved:
>
> 1. The on-disk chunk tree, which records every chunk (logical address
> space region) and is iterated by __btrfs_balance().
> 2. The in-memory block group cache (fs_info->block_group_cache_tree),
> which is built at mount time by btrfs_read_block_groups() and holds
> a struct btrfs_block_group for each chunk. This cache is what the
> usage filter queries.
>
> On a well-formed filesystem, these two are kept in 1:1 correspondence.
> However, btrfs_read_block_groups() builds the cache from block group
> items in the extent tree, not directly from the chunk tree. A corrupted
> image can therefore contain a chunk item in the chunk tree whose
> corresponding block group item is absent from the extent tree; that
> chunk's block group is then never inserted into the in-memory cache.
>
> When balance iterates the chunk tree and reaches such an orphaned chunk,
> should_balance_chunk() calls chunk_usage_filter(), which queries the block
> group cache:
>
> cache = btrfs_lookup_block_group(fs_info, chunk_offset);
> chunk_used = cache->used; /* cache may be NULL */
>
> btrfs_lookup_block_group() returns NULL silently when no cached entry
> covers chunk_offset. chunk_usage_filter() does not check the return value,
> so the immediately following dereference of cache->used triggers the crash.
>
> [FIX]
> Add a NULL check after btrfs_lookup_block_group() in chunk_usage_filter().
> When the lookup fails, emit a btrfs_err() message identifying the
> affected bytenr and return -EUCLEAN to indicate filesystem corruption.
>
> Since the filter function now has an error return path, change its
> return type from bool to int (negative = error, 0 = do not balance,
> positive = balance). Update should_balance_chunk() accordingly (bool ->
> int, with the same convention) and add error propagation for the usage
> filter path. Finally, handle the new negative return in __btrfs_balance()
> by jumping to the existing error path, which aborts the balance
> operation and reports the error to userspace.
>
> After the fix, the same corruption is correctly detected and reported
> by the filter, and the null-ptr-deref is no longer triggered.
>
> Fixes: 5ce5b3c0916b ("Btrfs: usage filter")
> Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
> Signed-off-by: ZhengYuan Huang <gality369@gmail.com>
> ---
> fs/btrfs/volumes.c | 28 +++++++++++++++++++++-------
> 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> index 2bec544d8ba3..7c21ac249383 100644
> --- a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> +++ b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> @@ -3863,14 +3863,20 @@ static bool chunk_usage_range_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_of
> return ret;
> }
>
> -static bool chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
> - struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
> +static int chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
> + struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
> {
> struct btrfs_block_group *cache;
> u64 chunk_used, user_thresh;
> bool ret = true;
As this is bool it does not match the changed return type anymore
>
> cache = btrfs_lookup_block_group(fs_info, chunk_offset);
> + if (!cache) {
> + btrfs_err(fs_info,
> + "balance: chunk at bytenr %llu has no corresponding block group",
> + chunk_offset);
> + return -EUCLEAN;
> + }
> chunk_used = cache->used;
>
> if (bargs->usage_min == 0)
> @@ -3986,8 +3992,8 @@ static bool chunk_soft_convert_filter(u64 chunk_type, struct btrfs_balance_args
> return false;
> }
>
> -static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
> - u64 chunk_offset)
> +static int should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
> + u64 chunk_offset)
> {
> struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info = leaf->fs_info;
> struct btrfs_balance_control *bctl = fs_info->balance_ctl;
> @@ -4014,9 +4020,13 @@ static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk
> }
>
> /* usage filter */
> - if ((bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) &&
> - chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs)) {
> - return false;
> + if (bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) {
> + int filter_ret = chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs);
Same problem here. Also please use ret2 for nested return values.
> +
> + if (filter_ret < 0)
> + return filter_ret;
> + if (filter_ret)
> + return false;
> } else if ((bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE_RANGE) &&
> chunk_usage_range_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs)) {
> return false;
On Tue, Mar 24, 2026 at 1:40 AM David Sterba <dsterba@suse.cz> wrote:
> So, for example you let a filesystem create some structures, let it
> continue, damage/destroy the structures and then let it access again?
>
> If this is supposed to emulate a corruption, either on media or in the
> IO path then OK.
Yes, this is one of the fuzzing strategies we use, where metadata is
intentionally corrupted at runtime to emulate possible media corruption
or I/O errors.
> > diff --git a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> > index 2bec544d8ba3..7c21ac249383 100644
> > --- a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> > +++ b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
> > @@ -3863,14 +3863,20 @@ static bool chunk_usage_range_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_of
> > return ret;
> > }
> >
> > -static bool chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
> > - struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
> > +static int chunk_usage_filter(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info, u64 chunk_offset,
> > + struct btrfs_balance_args *bargs)
> > {
> > struct btrfs_block_group *cache;
> > u64 chunk_used, user_thresh;
> > bool ret = true;
>
> As this is bool it does not match the changed return type anymore
>
> >
> > cache = btrfs_lookup_block_group(fs_info, chunk_offset);
> > + if (!cache) {
> > + btrfs_err(fs_info,
> > + "balance: chunk at bytenr %llu has no corresponding block group",
> > + chunk_offset);
> > + return -EUCLEAN;
> > + }
> > chunk_used = cache->used;
> >
> > if (bargs->usage_min == 0)
> > @@ -3986,8 +3992,8 @@ static bool chunk_soft_convert_filter(u64 chunk_type, struct btrfs_balance_args
> > return false;
> > }
> >
> > -static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
> > - u64 chunk_offset)
> > +static int should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk *chunk,
> > + u64 chunk_offset)
> > {
> > struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info = leaf->fs_info;
> > struct btrfs_balance_control *bctl = fs_info->balance_ctl;
> > @@ -4014,9 +4020,13 @@ static bool should_balance_chunk(struct extent_buffer *leaf, struct btrfs_chunk
> > }
> >
> > /* usage filter */
> > - if ((bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) &&
> > - chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs)) {
> > - return false;
> > + if (bargs->flags & BTRFS_BALANCE_ARGS_USAGE) {
> > + int filter_ret = chunk_usage_filter(fs_info, chunk_offset, bargs);
>
> Same problem here. Also please use ret2 for nested return values.
Thanks for the note, I’ll fix the return type issue and send a v3.
Thanks,
ZhengYuan Huang
© 2016 - 2026 Red Hat, Inc.