Date:   Sun, 13 Feb 2022 18:47:18 -0500
From:   Willem de Bruijn <willemdebruijn.kernel@...il.com>
To:     Willem de Bruijn <willemdebruijn.kernel@...il.com>
Cc:     "Liu, Congyu" <liu3101@...due.edu>,
        "security@...nel.org" <security@...nel.org>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: BUG: potential net namespace bug in IPv6 flow label management

On Sun, Feb 13, 2022 at 11:10 AM Willem de Bruijn
<willemdebruijn.kernel@...il.com> wrote:
>
> On Sun, Feb 13, 2022 at 5:31 AM Liu, Congyu <liu3101@...due.edu> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > In the test conducted on namespace, I found that one unsuccessful IPv6 flow label
> > management from one net ns could stop other net ns's data transmission that requests
> > flow label for a short time. Specifically, in our test case, one unsuccessful
> > `setsockopt` to get flow label will affect other net ns's `sendmsg` with flow label
> > set in cmsg. Simple PoC is included for verification. The behavior descirbed above
> > can be reproduced in latest kernel.
> >
> > I managed to figure out the data flow behind this: when asking to get a flow label,
> > some `setsockopt` parameters can trigger function `ipv6_flowlabel_get` to call `fl_create`
> > to allocate an exclusive flow label, then call `fl_release` to release it before returning
> > -ENOENT. Global variable `ipv6_flowlabel_exclusive`, a rate limit jump label that keeps
> > track of number of alive exclusive flow labels, will get increased instantly after calling
> > `fl_create`. Due to its rate limit design, `ipv6_flowlabel_exclusive` can only decrease
> > sometime later after calling `fl_decrease`. During this period, if data transmission function
> > in other net ns (e.g. `udpv6_sendmsg`) calls `fl_lookup`, the false `ipv6_flowlabel_exclusive`
> > will invoke the `__fl_lookup`. In the test case observed, this function returns error and
> > eventually stops the data transmission.
> >
> > I further noticed that this bug could somehow be vulnerable: if `setsockopt` is called
> > continuously, then `sendmmsg` call from other net ns will be blocked forever. Using the PoC
> > provided, if attack and victim programs are running simutaneously, victim program cannot transmit
> > data; when running without attack program, the victim program can transmit data normally.
>
> Thanks for the clear explanation.
>
> Being able to use flowlabels without explicitly registering them
> through a setsockopt is a fast path optimization introduced in commit
> 59c820b2317f ("ipv6: elide flowlabel check if no exclusive leases
> exist").
>
> Before this, any use of flowlabels required registering them, whether
> the use was exclusive or not. As autoflowlabels already skipped this
> stateful action, the commit extended this fast path to all non-exclusive
> use. But if any exclusive flowlabel is active, to protect it, all
> other flowlabel use has to be registered too.
>
> The commit message does state
>
>     This is an optimization. Robust applications still have to revert to
>     requesting leases if the fast path fails due to an exclusive lease.
>
> Though I can see how the changed behavior has changed the perception of the API.
>
> That this extends up to a second after release of the last exclusive
> flowlabel due to deferred release is only tangential to the issue?
>
> Flowlabels are stored globally, but associated with a netns
> (fl->fl_net). Perhaps we can add a per-netns check to the
> static_branch and maintain stateless behavior in other netns, even if
> some netns maintain exclusive leases.

The specific issue could be avoided by moving

       if (fl_shared_exclusive(fl) || fl->opt)
               static_branch_deferred_inc(&ipv6_flowlabel_exclusive);

until later in ipv6_flowlabel_get, after the ENOENT response.

But reserving a flowlabel is not a privileged operation, including for
exclusive use. So the attack program can just be revised to pass
IPV6_FL_F_CREATE and hold a real reservation. Then it also does
not have to retry in a loop.

The drop behavior is fully under control of the victim. If it reserves
the flowlabel it intends to use, then the issue does not occur. For
this reason I don't see this as a vulnerability.

But the behavior is non-obvious and it is preferable to isolate netns
from each other. I'm looking into whether we can add a per-netns
"has exclusive leases" check.

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