netdev - [PATCH 12/12] xfrm: use kfree_sensitive() for SA secret zeroization

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Message-ID: <20250523075611.3723340-13-steffen.klassert@secunet.com>
Date: Fri, 23 May 2025 09:56:11 +0200
From: Steffen Klassert <steffen.klassert@...unet.com>
To: David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>, Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>
CC: Herbert Xu <herbert@...dor.apana.org.au>, Steffen Klassert
	<steffen.klassert@...unet.com>, <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: [PATCH 12/12] xfrm: use kfree_sensitive() for SA secret zeroization

From: Zilin Guan <zilin@....edu.cn>

High-level copy_to_user_* APIs already redact SA secret fields when
redaction is enabled, but the state teardown path still freed aead,
aalg and ealg structs with plain kfree(), which does not clear memory
before deallocation. This can leave SA keys and other confidential
data in memory, risking exposure via post-free vulnerabilities.

Since this path is outside the packet fast path, the cost of zeroization
is acceptable and prevents any residual key material. This patch
replaces those kfree() calls unconditionally with kfree_sensitive(),
which zeroizes the entire buffer before freeing.

Signed-off-by: Zilin Guan <zilin@....edu.cn>
Signed-off-by: Steffen Klassert <steffen.klassert@...unet.com>
---
 net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c b/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
index 4bf7a4a8f9d4..5e1c736ea708 100644
--- a/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
+++ b/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
@@ -599,9 +599,9 @@ static void ___xfrm_state_destroy(struct xfrm_state *x)
 		x->mode_cbs->destroy_state(x);
 	hrtimer_cancel(&x->mtimer);
 	timer_delete_sync(&x->rtimer);
-	kfree(x->aead);
-	kfree(x->aalg);
-	kfree(x->ealg);
+	kfree_sensitive(x->aead);
+	kfree_sensitive(x->aalg);
+	kfree_sensitive(x->ealg);
 	kfree(x->calg);
 	kfree(x->encap);
 	kfree(x->coaddr);
-- 
2.34.1