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[PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()

Sechang Lim posted 1 patch 1 day, 20 hours ago
There is a newer version of this series
kernel/bpf/helpers.c | 7 +++++++
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
[PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by Sechang Lim 1 day, 20 hours ago 
bpf_task_from_vpid() looks up a task in the pid namespace of the
current task, via find_task_by_vpid():

  find_task_by_vpid(vpid)
    find_task_by_pid_ns(vpid, task_active_pid_ns(current))
      find_pid_ns(nr, ns) -> idr_find(&ns->idr, nr)

cgroup_skb programs run in softirq, which may interrupt a task that is
itself in do_exit(). Once that task has passed
exit_notify() -> release_task() -> __unhash_process(), its thread_pid is
cleared, so task_active_pid_ns(current) returns NULL and find_pid_ns()
dereferences &NULL->idr:

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000050
  RIP: 0010:idr_find+0x11/0x30 lib/idr.c:176
  Call Trace:
   <IRQ>
   find_pid_ns kernel/pid.c:370 [inline]
   find_task_by_pid_ns+0x3b/0xe0 kernel/pid.c:485
   bpf_task_from_vpid+0x5b/0x200 kernel/bpf/helpers.c:2916
   bpf_prog_run_array_cg+0x17e/0x530 kernel/bpf/cgroup.c:81
   __cgroup_bpf_run_filter_skb+0x12b/0x250 kernel/bpf/cgroup.c:1612
   sk_filter_trim_cap+0x1dc/0x4c0 net/core/filter.c:148
   tcp_v4_rcv+0x18d1/0x2200 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:2223
   </IRQ>
   <TASK>
   do_exit+0xa63/0x1270 kernel/exit.c:1010
   get_signal+0x141c/0x1530 kernel/signal.c:3037

Return NULL when bpf_task_from_vpid() runs in interrupt
context, or when current has no pid namespace.

Acked-by: Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@linux.dev>
Fixes: 675c3596ff32 ("bpf: Add bpf_task_from_vpid() kfunc")
Signed-off-by: Sechang Lim <rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com>
---
v3:
 - Also handle current with no pid namespace 

v2:
 - Reject calls from interrupt context (Yonghong Song)
 - https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260605200501.1619406-1-rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com/

v1:
 - https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260603204206.773482-1-rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com/

 kernel/bpf/helpers.c | 7 +++++++
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
@@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
 {
 	struct task_struct *p;
 
+	if (in_interrupt())
+		return NULL;
+
 	rcu_read_lock();
+	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
+		rcu_read_unlock();
+		return NULL;
+	}
 	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
 	if (p)
 		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);
-- 
2.43.0
Re: [PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi 20 hours ago 
On Sat Jun 6, 2026 at 11:19 AM CEST, Sechang Lim wrote:
> bpf_task_from_vpid() looks up a task in the pid namespace of the
> current task, via find_task_by_vpid():
>
>   find_task_by_vpid(vpid)
>     find_task_by_pid_ns(vpid, task_active_pid_ns(current))
>       find_pid_ns(nr, ns) -> idr_find(&ns->idr, nr)
>
> cgroup_skb programs run in softirq, which may interrupt a task that is
> itself in do_exit(). Once that task has passed
> exit_notify() -> release_task() -> __unhash_process(), its thread_pid is
> cleared, so task_active_pid_ns(current) returns NULL and find_pid_ns()
> dereferences &NULL->idr:
>
>   BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000050
>   RIP: 0010:idr_find+0x11/0x30 lib/idr.c:176
>   Call Trace:
>    <IRQ>
>    find_pid_ns kernel/pid.c:370 [inline]
>    find_task_by_pid_ns+0x3b/0xe0 kernel/pid.c:485
>    bpf_task_from_vpid+0x5b/0x200 kernel/bpf/helpers.c:2916
>    bpf_prog_run_array_cg+0x17e/0x530 kernel/bpf/cgroup.c:81
>    __cgroup_bpf_run_filter_skb+0x12b/0x250 kernel/bpf/cgroup.c:1612
>    sk_filter_trim_cap+0x1dc/0x4c0 net/core/filter.c:148
>    tcp_v4_rcv+0x18d1/0x2200 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:2223
>    </IRQ>
>    <TASK>
>    do_exit+0xa63/0x1270 kernel/exit.c:1010
>    get_signal+0x141c/0x1530 kernel/signal.c:3037
>
> Return NULL when bpf_task_from_vpid() runs in interrupt
> context, or when current has no pid namespace.
>
> Acked-by: Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@linux.dev>
> Fixes: 675c3596ff32 ("bpf: Add bpf_task_from_vpid() kfunc")
> Signed-off-by: Sechang Lim <rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com>
> ---
> v3:
>  - Also handle current with no pid namespace
>
> v2:
>  - Reject calls from interrupt context (Yonghong Song)
>  - https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260605200501.1619406-1-rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com/
>
> v1:
>  - https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260603204206.773482-1-rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com/
>
>  kernel/bpf/helpers.c | 7 +++++++
>  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
> --- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> +++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> @@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
>  {
>  	struct task_struct *p;
>
> +	if (in_interrupt())
> +		return NULL;
> +

This seems too broad, I would just drop this hunk. It seems unrelated to the fix.
IIUC we only need the bit below to prevent the original NULL deref.

pw-bot: cr

>  	rcu_read_lock();
> +	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
> +		rcu_read_unlock();
> +		return NULL;
> +	}
>  	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
>  	if (p)
>  		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);
Re: [PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by Sechang Lim 19 hours ago 
On Sun, Jun 07, 2026 at 10:44:41AM +0200, Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi wrote:
>>  kernel/bpf/helpers.c | 7 +++++++
>>  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
>>
>> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>> index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
>> --- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>> +++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>> @@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
>>  {
>>  	struct task_struct *p;
>>
>> +	if (in_interrupt())
>> +		return NULL;
>> +
>
>This seems too broad, I would just drop this hunk. It seems unrelated to the fix.
>IIUC we only need the bit below to prevent the original NULL deref.
>
>pw-bot: cr
>
>>  	rcu_read_lock();
>> +	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
>> +		rcu_read_unlock();
>> +		return NULL;
>> +	}
>>  	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
>>  	if (p)
>>  		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);
>

Right, the NULL check alone fixes the crash. The async-context guard was
added on Yonghong's v1 request: in softirq current is unrelated to the
packet, so the looked-up task is meaning less even without the crash.

Drop it entirely, or keep that intent with a narrower predicate?
in_interrupt() is also true under spin_lock_bh(), so !in_task() would be
more precise.
Re: [PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi 18 hours ago 
On Sun Jun 7, 2026 at 12:05 PM CEST, Sechang Lim wrote:
> On Sun, Jun 07, 2026 at 10:44:41AM +0200, Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi wrote:
>>>  kernel/bpf/helpers.c | 7 +++++++
>>>  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
>>>
>>> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>>> index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
>>> --- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>>> +++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
>>> @@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
>>>  {
>>>  	struct task_struct *p;
>>>
>>> +	if (in_interrupt())
>>> +		return NULL;
>>> +
>>
>>This seems too broad, I would just drop this hunk. It seems unrelated to the fix.
>>IIUC we only need the bit below to prevent the original NULL deref.
>>
>>pw-bot: cr
>>
>>>  	rcu_read_lock();
>>> +	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
>>> +		rcu_read_unlock();
>>> +		return NULL;
>>> +	}
>>>  	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
>>>  	if (p)
>>>  		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);
>>
>
> Right, the NULL check alone fixes the crash. The async-context guard was
> added on Yonghong's v1 request: in softirq current is unrelated to the
> packet, so the looked-up task is meaning less even without the crash.
>
> Drop it entirely, or keep that intent with a narrower predicate?
> in_interrupt() is also true under spin_lock_bh(), so !in_task() would be
> more precise.

Drop it. I think there are contexts where tracing programs use it, may run with
interrupts disabled, but current still remains meaningful.
Re: [PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by Leon Hwang 1 day, 16 hours ago 
On 2026/6/6 17:19, Sechang Lim wrote:
[...]
> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
> --- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> +++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> @@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
>  {
>  	struct task_struct *p;
>  
> +	if (in_interrupt())
> +		return NULL;
> +
>  	rcu_read_lock();

Better to use guard(rcu)() here, and drop the rcu_read_unlock().

Thanks,
Leon

> +	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
> +		rcu_read_unlock();
> +		return NULL;
> +	}
>  	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
>  	if (p)
>  		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);
Re: [PATCH bpf v3] bpf: fix NULL pointer dereference in bpf_task_from_vpid()
Posted by bot+bpf-ci@kernel.org 1 day, 19 hours ago 
> diff --git a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> index b5314c9fed3c..226c31ccb5d6 100644
> --- a/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> +++ b/kernel/bpf/helpers.c
> @@ -2912,7 +2912,14 @@ __bpf_kfunc struct task_struct *bpf_task_from_vpid(s32 vpid)
>  {
>  	struct task_struct *p;
>
> +	if (in_interrupt())
> +		return NULL;

This isn't a bug, but a review comment on v3 about this in_interrupt()
check does not appear to have been answered.

The comment noted that in_interrupt() evaluates to irq_count(), so it
returns true not only in hardware and softirq context but also in normal
task context whenever bottom halves are disabled, such as inside
local_bh_disable() or spin_lock_bh().

Would this cause bpf_task_from_vpid() to return NULL for a valid BPF
program running in a BH-disabled task context, where current still has a
valid pid namespace?

Would using !in_task() instead filter out the asynchronous contexts
without rejecting BH-disabled task contexts?

  https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/20260606091941.1803115-1-rhkrqnwk98@gmail.com/

> +
>  	rcu_read_lock();
> +	if (!task_active_pid_ns(current)) {
> +		rcu_read_unlock();
> +		return NULL;
> +	}
>  	p = find_task_by_vpid(vpid);
>  	if (p)
>  		p = bpf_task_acquire(p);


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