linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] wifi: ath9k: add a defensive NULL check to prevent null-pointer dereference in ath9k_beacon_remove

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Message-ID: <87eco14u4p.fsf@toke.dk>
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:03:34 +0100
From: Toke Høiland-Jørgensen <toke@...e.dk>
To: Tuo Li <islituo@...il.com>
Cc: linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Tuo Li
 <islituo@...il.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] wifi: ath9k: add a defensive NULL check to prevent
 null-pointer dereference in ath9k_beacon_remove_slot()

Tuo Li <islituo@...il.com> writes:

> In this function, bf is guarded by an if statement, indicating that it may
> be NULL:
>
>   if (bf && bf->bf_mpdu) {...}
>
> If bf is NULL, calling list_add_tail() may result in a null-pointer
> dereference:
>
>   list_add_tail(&bf->list, &sc->beacon.bbuf);
>
> Therefore, add a defensive NULL check before invoking list_add_tail() to
> prevent this issue.
>
> Signed-off-by: Tuo Li <islituo@...il.com>

Are you fixing an actual bug here? Otherwise, this is not worth the
churn...

-Toke