[PATCH] ext4: fix possible non-initialized variable

[PATCH] ext4: fix possible non-initialized variable

[Carlos Maiolino]

htree_dirblock_to_tree() declares a non-initialized 'err' variable, which is
passed as a reference to another functions expecting them to set this variable
with thei error codes.
It's passed to ext4_bread(), which then passes it to ext4_getblk(). If
ext4_map_blocks() returns 0 due to a lookup failure, leaving the ext4_getblk()
buffer_head uninitialized, it will make ext4_getblk() return to ext4_bread()
without initialize the 'err' variable, and ext4_bread() will return to
htree_dirblock_to_tree() with this variable still uninitialized.
htree_dirblock_to_tree() will pass this variable with garbage back to
ext4_htree_fill_tree(), which expects a number of directory entries added to the
rb-tree. which, in case, might return a fake non-zero value due the garbage left
in the 'err' variable, leading the kernel to an Oops in ext4_dx_readdir(), once
this is expecting a filled rb-tree node, when in turn it will have a NULL-ed
one, causing an invalid page request when trying to get a fname struct from
this NULL-ed rb-tree node in this line:

fname = rb_entry(info->curr_node, struct fname, rb_hash);

The patch itself initializes the err variable in htree_dirblock_to_tree() to
avoid usage mistakes by the called functions, and also fix ext4_getblk() to
return a initialized 'err' variable when ext4_map_blocks() fails a
lookup.

Signed-off-by: Carlos Maiolino <cmaiolino@redhat.com>
---
 fs/ext4/inode.c | 2 +-
 fs/ext4/namei.c | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
index dff171c..80fae26 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ struct buffer_head *ext4_getblk(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
 {
 	struct ext4_map_blocks map;
 	struct buffer_head *bh;
-	int fatal = 0, err;
+	int fatal = 0, err = 0;
 
 	J_ASSERT(handle != NULL || create == 0);
 
diff --git a/fs/ext4/namei.c b/fs/ext4/namei.c
index 2a42cc0..262f863 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/namei.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/namei.c
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ static int htree_dirblock_to_tree(struct file *dir_file,
 {
 	struct buffer_head *bh;
 	struct ext4_dir_entry_2 *de, *top;
-	int err, count = 0;
+	int err = 0, count = 0;
 
 	dxtrace(printk(KERN_INFO "In htree dirblock_to_tree: block %lu\n",
 							(unsigned long)block));
-- 
1.7.11.4

Re: [PATCH] ext4: fix possible non-initialized variable

[Eric Sandeen]

On 9/8/12 7:49 AM, Carlos Maiolino wrote:
> htree_dirblock_to_tree() declares a non-initialized 'err' variable, which is
> passed as a reference to another functions expecting them to set this variable
> with thei error codes.
> It's passed to ext4_bread(), which then passes it to ext4_getblk(). If
> ext4_map_blocks() returns 0 due to a lookup failure, leaving the ext4_getblk()
> buffer_head uninitialized, it will make ext4_getblk() return to ext4_bread()
> without initialize the 'err' variable, and ext4_bread() will return to
> htree_dirblock_to_tree() with this variable still uninitialized.
> htree_dirblock_to_tree() will pass this variable with garbage back to
> ext4_htree_fill_tree(), which expects a number of directory entries added to the
> rb-tree. which, in case, might return a fake non-zero value due the garbage left
> in the 'err' variable, leading the kernel to an Oops in ext4_dx_readdir(), once
> this is expecting a filled rb-tree node, when in turn it will have a NULL-ed
> one, causing an invalid page request when trying to get a fname struct from
> this NULL-ed rb-tree node in this line:
> 
> fname = rb_entry(info->curr_node, struct fname, rb_hash);
> 
> The patch itself initializes the err variable in htree_dirblock_to_tree() to
> avoid usage mistakes by the called functions, and also fix ext4_getblk() to
> return a initialized 'err' variable when ext4_map_blocks() fails a
> lookup.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Carlos Maiolino <cmaiolino@redhat.com>
> ---
>  fs/ext4/inode.c | 2 +-
>  fs/ext4/namei.c | 2 +-
>  2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
> index dff171c..80fae26 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
> @@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ struct buffer_head *ext4_getblk(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
>  {
>  	struct ext4_map_blocks map;
>  	struct buffer_head *bh;
> -	int fatal = 0, err;
> +	int fatal = 0, err = 0;
>  
>  	J_ASSERT(handle != NULL || create == 0);

I'm afraid this doesn't fix it.  So now err is init to 0, but then:

        err = ext4_map_blocks(handle, inode, &map,
                              create ? EXT4_GET_BLOCKS_CREATE : 0);

so err is immediately reset to whatever ext4_map_blocks returns, which might be 0.
If so, we don't go down this case:

        if (err < 0)
                *errp = err;

and we do go down this case,

        if (err <= 0)
                return NULL;

in which case we return with *errp unset.

It needs something like this, though maybe this could be made prettier/clearer.

diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
index dff171c..25fe8bf 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
@@ -732,11 +732,11 @@ struct buffer_head *ext4_getblk(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
 	err = ext4_map_blocks(handle, inode, &map,
 			      create ? EXT4_GET_BLOCKS_CREATE : 0);
 
+	*errp = 0;
 	if (err < 0)
 		*errp = err;
 	if (err <= 0)
 		return NULL;
-	*errp = 0;
 
 	bh = sb_getblk(inode->i_sb, map.m_pblk);
 	if (!bh) {


> diff --git a/fs/ext4/namei.c b/fs/ext4/namei.c
> index 2a42cc0..262f863 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/namei.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/namei.c
> @@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ static int htree_dirblock_to_tree(struct file *dir_file,
>  {
>  	struct buffer_head *bh;
>  	struct ext4_dir_entry_2 *de, *top;
> -	int err, count = 0;
> +	int err = 0, count = 0;
>  
>  	dxtrace(printk(KERN_INFO "In htree dirblock_to_tree: block %lu\n",
>  							(unsigned long)block));
> 

Re: [PATCH] ext4: fix possible non-initialized variable

[Carlos Maiolino]

> I'm afraid this doesn't fix it.  So now err is init to 0, but then:
> 
>         err = ext4_map_blocks(handle, inode, &map,
>                               create ? EXT4_GET_BLOCKS_CREATE : 0);
> 
> so err is immediately reset to whatever ext4_map_blocks returns, which might be 0.
> If so, we don't go down this case:
> 
>         if (err < 0)
>                 *errp = err;
> 
> and we do go down this case,
> 
>         if (err <= 0)
>                 return NULL;
> 
> in which case we return with *errp unset.
> 
> It needs something like this, though maybe this could be made prettier/clearer.
> 
> +	*errp = 0;
>  	if (err < 0)
>  		*errp = err;
>  	if (err <= 0)
>  		return NULL;
> -	*errp = 0;

Agreed. just initializing err variable into ext4_getblk() won't ensure *errp
will be filled with 'err' content. Thanks. I'll wait for some extra inputs and
see if is there anything else people have in mind, then release a v2 patch
-- 
--Carlos