linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v7 07/10] vsprintf: Consolidate handling of unknown pointer specifiers

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:   Wed, 26 Jun 2019 13:16:08 +0200
From:   Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@...ux-m68k.org>
To:     Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com>
Cc:     Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@...ux.intel.com>,
        Rasmus Villemoes <linux@...musvillemoes.dk>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        "Tobin C . Harding" <me@...in.cc>, Joe Perches <joe@...ches.com>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Michal Hocko <mhocko@...e.cz>,
        Sergey Senozhatsky <sergey.senozhatsky@...il.com>,
        Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>,
        Sergey Senozhatsky <sergey.senozhatsky.work@...il.com>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v7 07/10] vsprintf: Consolidate handling of unknown
 pointer specifiers

Hi Petr,

On Wed, Jun 26, 2019 at 12:46 PM Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com> wrote:
> On Tue 2019-06-25 12:59:57, Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
> > On Wed, Apr 17, 2019 at 1:56 PM Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com> wrote:
> > > There are few printk formats that make sense only with two or more
> > > specifiers. Also some specifiers make sense only when a kernel feature
> > > is enabled.
> > >
> > > The handling of unknown specifiers is inconsistent and not helpful.
> > > Using WARN() looks like an overkill for this type of error. pr_warn()
> > > is not good either. It would by handled via printk_safe buffer and
> > > it might be hard to match it with the problematic string.
> > >
> > > A reasonable compromise seems to be writing the unknown format specifier
> > > into the original string with a question mark, for example (%pC?).
> > > It should be self-explaining enough. Note that it is in brackets
> > > to follow the (null) style.
> > >
> > > Note that it introduces a warning about that test_hashed() function
> > > is unused. It is going to be used again by a later patch.
> > >
> > > Signed-off-by: Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com>
> >
> > > --- a/lib/vsprintf.c
> > > +++ b/lib/vsprintf.c
> > > @@ -1706,7 +1712,7 @@ char *clock(char *buf, char *end, struct clk *clk, struct printf_spec spec,
> > >  #ifdef CONFIG_COMMON_CLK
> > >                 return string(buf, end, __clk_get_name(clk), spec);
> > >  #else
> > > -               return ptr_to_id(buf, end, clk, spec);
> > > +               return string_nocheck(buf, end, "(%pC?)", spec);
> >
> > What's the reason behind this change? This is not an error case,
> > but for printing the clock pointer as a distinguishable ID when using
> > the legacy clock framework, which does not store names with clocks.
>
> You are right. We should put back ptr_to_id() there.

Thanks for the confirmation!

> Would you like to send a patch?

Sure, will do.

Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

-- 
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@...ux-m68k.org

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds