linux-kernel - [Patch v9 02/12] perf/x86: Fix NULL event access and potential PEBS record loss

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Message-Id: <20251029102136.61364-3-dapeng1.mi@linux.intel.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:21:26 +0800
From: Dapeng Mi <dapeng1.mi@...ux.intel.com>
To: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
	Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@...nel.org>,
	Namhyung Kim <namhyung@...nel.org>,
	Ian Rogers <irogers@...gle.com>,
	Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@...el.com>,
	Alexander Shishkin <alexander.shishkin@...ux.intel.com>,
	Andi Kleen <ak@...ux.intel.com>,
	Eranian Stephane <eranian@...gle.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-perf-users@...r.kernel.org,
	Dapeng Mi <dapeng1.mi@...el.com>,
	Zide Chen <zide.chen@...el.com>,
	Falcon Thomas <thomas.falcon@...el.com>,
	Xudong Hao <xudong.hao@...el.com>,
	Dapeng Mi <dapeng1.mi@...ux.intel.com>,
	kernel test robot <oliver.sang@...el.com>
Subject: [Patch v9 02/12] perf/x86: Fix NULL event access and potential PEBS record loss

When intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() is called to drain PEBS records, the
perf_event_overflow() could be called to process the last PEBS record.

While perf_event_overflow() could trigger the interrupt throttle and
stop all events of the group, like what the below call-chain shows.

perf_event_overflow()
  -> __perf_event_overflow()
    ->__perf_event_account_interrupt()
      -> perf_event_throttle_group()
        -> perf_event_throttle()
          -> event->pmu->stop()
            -> x86_pmu_stop()

The side effect of stopping the events is that all corresponding event
pointers in cpuc->events[] array are cleared to NULL.

Assume there are two PEBS events (event a and event b) in a group. When
intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() calls perf_event_overflow() to process the
last PEBS record of PEBS event a, interrupt throttle is triggered and
all pointers of event a and event b are cleared to NULL. Then
intel_pmu_drain_pebs_icl() tries to process the last PEBS record of
event b and encounters NULL pointer access.

To avoid this issue, move cpuc->events[] clearing from x86_pmu_stop()
to x86_pmu_del(). It's safe since cpuc->active_mask or
cpuc->pebs_enabled is always checked before access the event pointer
from cpuc->events[].

Reported-by: kernel test robot <oliver.sang@...el.com>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-lkp/202507042103.a15d2923-lkp@intel.com
Fixes: 9734e25fbf5a ("perf: Fix the throttle logic for a group")
Suggested-by: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Signed-off-by: Dapeng Mi <dapeng1.mi@...ux.intel.com>
---
 arch/x86/events/core.c | 5 +++--
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/events/core.c b/arch/x86/events/core.c
index 745caa6c15a3..74479f9d6eed 100644
--- a/arch/x86/events/core.c
+++ b/arch/x86/events/core.c
@@ -1344,6 +1344,7 @@ static void x86_pmu_enable(struct pmu *pmu)
 				hwc->state |= PERF_HES_ARCH;
 
 			x86_pmu_stop(event, PERF_EF_UPDATE);
+			cpuc->events[hwc->idx] = NULL;
 		}
 
 		/*
@@ -1365,6 +1366,7 @@ static void x86_pmu_enable(struct pmu *pmu)
 			 * if cpuc->enabled = 0, then no wrmsr as
 			 * per x86_pmu_enable_event()
 			 */
+			cpuc->events[hwc->idx] = event;
 			x86_pmu_start(event, PERF_EF_RELOAD);
 		}
 		cpuc->n_added = 0;
@@ -1531,7 +1533,6 @@ static void x86_pmu_start(struct perf_event *event, int flags)
 
 	event->hw.state = 0;
 
-	cpuc->events[idx] = event;
 	__set_bit(idx, cpuc->active_mask);
 	static_call(x86_pmu_enable)(event);
 	perf_event_update_userpage(event);
@@ -1610,7 +1611,6 @@ void x86_pmu_stop(struct perf_event *event, int flags)
 	if (test_bit(hwc->idx, cpuc->active_mask)) {
 		static_call(x86_pmu_disable)(event);
 		__clear_bit(hwc->idx, cpuc->active_mask);
-		cpuc->events[hwc->idx] = NULL;
 		WARN_ON_ONCE(hwc->state & PERF_HES_STOPPED);
 		hwc->state |= PERF_HES_STOPPED;
 	}
@@ -1648,6 +1648,7 @@ static void x86_pmu_del(struct perf_event *event, int flags)
 	 * Not a TXN, therefore cleanup properly.
 	 */
 	x86_pmu_stop(event, PERF_EF_UPDATE);
+	cpuc->events[event->hw.idx] = NULL;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < cpuc->n_events; i++) {
 		if (event == cpuc->event_list[i])
-- 
2.34.1