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 for Android: free password hash cracker in your pocket
[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [day] [month] [year] [list]
Message-ID: <aXn05ADvj0X7N5bK@kernel.org>
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:37:08 +0200
From: Mike Rapoport <rppt@...nel.org>
To: Pratyush Yadav <pratyush@...nel.org>
Cc: Pasha Tatashin <pasha.tatashin@...een.com>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/2] liveupdate: luo_file: remember retrieve() status

Hi Pratyush,

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 12:02:53AM +0100, Pratyush Yadav wrote:
> From: "Pratyush Yadav (Google)" <pratyush@...nel.org>
> 
> LUO keeps track of successful retrieve attempts on a LUO file. It does
> so to avoid multiple retrievals of the same file. Doing so will cause

						  ^ Multiple  retrievals

> problems because once the file is retrieved, the serialized data
> structures are likely freed and the file is likely in a very different
> state from what the code expects.
> 
> This is kept track of by the retrieved boolean in struct luo_file, and

The 'retrieve' boolean in struct luo_file keeps track of this,

> is passed to the finish callback so it knows what work was already done
> and what it has left to do.
> 
> All this works well when retrieve succeeds. When it fails,
> luo_retrieve_file() returns the error immediately, without ever storing
> anywhere that a retrieve was attempted or what its error code was. This
> results in an errored LIVEUPDATE_SESSION_RETRIEVE_FD ioctl to userspace,
> but nothing prevents it from trying this again.
> 
> The retry is problematic for much of the same reasons listed above. The
> file is likely in a very different state than what the retrieve logic
> normally expects, and it might even have freed some serialization data
> structures. Attempting to access them or free them again is going to
> break things.
> 
> For example, if memfd managed to restore 8 of its 10 folios, but fails
> on the 9th, a subsequent retrieve attempt will try to call
> kho_restore_folio() on the first folio again, and that will fail with a
> warning since it is an invalid operation.
> 
> Apart from the retry, finish() also breaks. Since on failure the
> retrieved bool in luo_file is never touched, the finish() call on
> session close will tell the file handler that retrieve was never
> attempted, and it will try to access or free the data structures that
> might not exist, much in the same way as the retry attempt.
> 
> There is no sane way of attempting the retrieve again. Remember the
> error retrieve returned and directly return it on a retry. Also pass
> this status code to finish() so it can make the right decision on the
> work it needs to do.
> 
> This is done by changing the bool to an integer. A value of 0 means
> retrieve was never attempted, a positive value means it succeeded, and a
> negative value means it failed and the error code is the value.
> 
> Fixes: 7c722a7f44e0 ("liveupdate: luo_file: implement file systems callbacks")
> Signed-off-by: Pratyush Yadav (Google) <pratyush@...nel.org>
> ---
>  include/linux/liveupdate.h   |  7 ++++--
>  kernel/liveupdate/luo_file.c | 41 ++++++++++++++++++++++--------------
>  mm/memfd_luo.c               |  7 +++++-
>  3 files changed, 36 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/include/linux/liveupdate.h b/include/linux/liveupdate.h
> index a7f6ee5b6771..a543a3a8e837 100644
> --- a/include/linux/liveupdate.h
> +++ b/include/linux/liveupdate.h
> @@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ struct file;
>   * struct liveupdate_file_op_args - Arguments for file operation callbacks.
>   * @handler:          The file handler being called.
>   * @retrieved:        The retrieve status for the 'can_finish / finish'
> - *                    operation.
> + *                    operation. A value of 0 means the retrieve has not been
> + *                    attempted, a positive value means the retrieve was
> + *                    successful, and a negative value means the retrieve failed,
> + *                    and the value is the error code of the call.
>   * @file:             The file object. For retrieve: [OUT] The callback sets
>   *                    this to the new file. For other ops: [IN] The caller sets
>   *                    this to the file being operated on.
> @@ -37,7 +40,7 @@ struct file;
>   */
>  struct liveupdate_file_op_args {
>  	struct liveupdate_file_handler *handler;
> -	bool retrieved;
> +	bool retrieve_sts;

int retrieve_sts?

and maybe spell out _status rather than _sts?

>  	struct file *file;
>  	u64 serialized_data;
>  	void *private_data;
> diff --git a/kernel/liveupdate/luo_file.c b/kernel/liveupdate/luo_file.c
> index 9f7283379ebc..82577b4cca2b 100644
> --- a/kernel/liveupdate/luo_file.c
> +++ b/kernel/liveupdate/luo_file.c
> @@ -133,9 +133,12 @@ static LIST_HEAD(luo_file_handler_list);
>   *                 state that is not preserved. Set by the handler's .preserve()
>   *                 callback, and must be freed in the handler's .unpreserve()
>   *                 callback.
> - * @retrieved:     A flag indicating whether a user/kernel in the new kernel has
> + * @retrieve_sts:  Status code indicating whether a user/kernel in the new kernel has
>   *                 successfully called retrieve() on this file. This prevents
> - *                 multiple retrieval attempts.
> + *                 multiple retrieval attempts. A value of 0 means a retrieve()
> + *                 has not been attempted, a positive value means the retrieve()
> + *                 was successful, and a negative value means the retrieve()
> + *                 failed, and the value is the error code of the call.
>   * @mutex:         A mutex that protects the fields of this specific instance
>   *                 (e.g., @retrieved, @file), ensuring that operations like
>   *                 retrieving or finishing a file are atomic.
> @@ -160,7 +163,7 @@ struct luo_file {
>  	struct file *file;
>  	u64 serialized_data;
>  	void *private_data;
> -	bool retrieved;
> +	int retrieve_sts;
>  	struct mutex mutex;
>  	struct list_head list;
>  	u64 token;
> @@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ int luo_preserve_file(struct luo_file_set *file_set, u64 token, int fd)
>  	luo_file->file = file;
>  	luo_file->fh = fh;
>  	luo_file->token = token;
> -	luo_file->retrieved = false;
> +	luo_file->retrieve_sts = 0;

We kzalloc() luo_file, so this is not strictly required.

>  	mutex_init(&luo_file->mutex);
>  
>  	args.handler = fh;
> @@ -569,7 +572,7 @@ int luo_retrieve_file(struct luo_file_set *file_set, u64 token,
>  		return -ENOENT;
>  
>  	guard(mutex)(&luo_file->mutex);
> -	if (luo_file->retrieved) {
> +	if (luo_file->retrieve_sts > 0) {
>  		/*
>  		 * Someone is asking for this file again, so get a reference
>  		 * for them.
> @@ -577,21 +580,27 @@ int luo_retrieve_file(struct luo_file_set *file_set, u64 token,
>  		get_file(luo_file->file);
>  		*filep = luo_file->file;
>  		return 0;
> +	} else if (luo_file->retrieve_sts < 0) {
> +		/* Retrieve was attempted and it failed. Return the error code. */
> +		return luo_file->retrieve_sts;
>  	}

I'd put it before the check for > 0, i.e

	if (luo_file->retrieve_sts < 0)
		return luo_file->retrieve_sts;

	if (luo_file->retrieve_sts > 0) 
		...

  
>  	args.handler = luo_file->fh;
>  	args.serialized_data = luo_file->serialized_data;
>  	err = luo_file->fh->ops->retrieve(&args);
> -	if (!err) {
> -		luo_file->file = args.file;
> -
> -		/* Get reference so we can keep this file in LUO until finish */
> -		get_file(luo_file->file);
> -		*filep = luo_file->file;
> -		luo_file->retrieved = true;
> +	if (err) {
> +		/* Keep the error code for later use. */
> +		luo_file->retrieve_sts = err;
> +		return err;
>  	}
>  
> -	return err;
> +	luo_file->file = args.file;
> +	/* Get reference so we can keep this file in LUO until finish */
> +	get_file(luo_file->file);
> +	*filep = luo_file->file;
> +	luo_file->retrieve_sts = 1;
> +
> +	return 0;
>  }
>  
>  static int luo_file_can_finish_one(struct luo_file_set *file_set,
> @@ -607,7 +616,7 @@ static int luo_file_can_finish_one(struct luo_file_set *file_set,
>  		args.handler = luo_file->fh;
>  		args.file = luo_file->file;
>  		args.serialized_data = luo_file->serialized_data;
> -		args.retrieved = luo_file->retrieved;
> +		args.retrieve_sts = luo_file->retrieve_sts;
>  		can_finish = luo_file->fh->ops->can_finish(&args);
>  	}
>  
> @@ -624,7 +633,7 @@ static void luo_file_finish_one(struct luo_file_set *file_set,
>  	args.handler = luo_file->fh;
>  	args.file = luo_file->file;
>  	args.serialized_data = luo_file->serialized_data;
> -	args.retrieved = luo_file->retrieved;
> +	args.retrieve_sts = luo_file->retrieve_sts;
>  
>  	luo_file->fh->ops->finish(&args);
>  }
> @@ -779,7 +788,7 @@ int luo_file_deserialize(struct luo_file_set *file_set,
>  		luo_file->file = NULL;
>  		luo_file->serialized_data = file_ser[i].data;
>  		luo_file->token = file_ser[i].token;
> -		luo_file->retrieved = false;
> +		luo_file->retrieve_sts = 0;

Here as well, we kzalloc() luo_file, so zeroing out of the fields is not
strictly required.

>  		mutex_init(&luo_file->mutex);
>  		list_add_tail(&luo_file->list, &file_set->files_list);
>  	}
> diff --git a/mm/memfd_luo.c b/mm/memfd_luo.c
> index a34fccc23b6a..ffc9f879833b 100644
> --- a/mm/memfd_luo.c
> +++ b/mm/memfd_luo.c
> @@ -326,7 +326,12 @@ static void memfd_luo_finish(struct liveupdate_file_op_args *args)
>  	struct memfd_luo_folio_ser *folios_ser;
>  	struct memfd_luo_ser *ser;
>  
> -	if (args->retrieved)
> +	/*
> +	 * If retrieve was successful, nothing to do. If it failed, retrieve()
> +	 * already cleaned up everything it could. So nothing to do there
> +	 * either. Only need to clean up when retrieve was not called.
> +	 */
> +	if (args->retrieve_sts)
>  		return;
>  
>  	ser = phys_to_virt(args->serialized_data);
> -- 
> 2.52.0.457.g6b5491de43-goog
> 

-- 
Sincerely yours,
Mike.

Powered by blists - more mailing lists

Powered by Openwall GNU/*/Linux Powered by OpenVZ