netdev - [PATCH net 1/2] ipv4: Fix reference count leak when using error routes with nexthop objects

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Message-ID: <20251221144829.197694-1-idosch@nvidia.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2025 16:48:28 +0200
From: Ido Schimmel <idosch@...dia.com>
To: <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
CC: <davem@...emloft.net>, <kuba@...nel.org>, <pabeni@...hat.com>,
	<edumazet@...gle.com>, <dsahern@...nel.org>, <horms@...nel.org>,
	<penguin-kernel@...ove.SAKURA.ne.jp>, Ido Schimmel <idosch@...dia.com>
Subject: [PATCH net 1/2] ipv4: Fix reference count leak when using error routes with nexthop objects

When a nexthop object is deleted, it is marked as dead and then
fib_table_flush() is called to flush all the routes that are using the
dead nexthop.

The current logic in fib_table_flush() is to only flush error routes
(e.g., blackhole) when it is called as part of network namespace
dismantle (i.e., with flush_all=true). Therefore, error routes are not
flushed when their nexthop object is deleted:

 # ip link add name dummy1 up type dummy
 # ip nexthop add id 1 dev dummy1
 # ip route add 198.51.100.1/32 nhid 1
 # ip route add blackhole 198.51.100.2/32 nhid 1
 # ip nexthop del id 1
 # ip route show
 blackhole 198.51.100.2 nhid 1 dev dummy1

As such, they keep holding a reference on the nexthop object which in
turn holds a reference on the nexthop device, resulting in a reference
count leak:

 # ip link del dev dummy1
 [   70.516258] unregister_netdevice: waiting for dummy1 to become free. Usage count = 2

Fix by flushing error routes when their nexthop is marked as dead.

IPv6 does not suffer from this problem.

Fixes: 493ced1ac47c ("ipv4: Allow routes to use nexthop objects")
Reported-by: Tetsuo Handa <penguin-kernel@...ove.SAKURA.ne.jp>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/d943f806-4da6-4970-ac28-b9373b0e63ac@I-love.SAKURA.ne.jp/
Reported-by: syzbot+881d65229ca4f9ae8c84@...kaller.appspotmail.com
Signed-off-by: Ido Schimmel <idosch@...dia.com>
---
 net/ipv4/fib_trie.c | 7 ++++---
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ipv4/fib_trie.c b/net/ipv4/fib_trie.c
index 59a6f0a9638f..7e2c17fec3fc 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/fib_trie.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/fib_trie.c
@@ -2053,10 +2053,11 @@ int fib_table_flush(struct net *net, struct fib_table *tb, bool flush_all)
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			/* Do not flush error routes if network namespace is
-			 * not being dismantled
+			/* When not flushing the entire table, skip error
+			 * routes that are not marked for deletion.
 			 */
-			if (!flush_all && fib_props[fa->fa_type].error) {
+			if (!flush_all && fib_props[fa->fa_type].error &&
+			    !(fi->fib_flags & RTNH_F_DEAD)) {
 				slen = fa->fa_slen;
 				continue;
 			}
-- 
2.52.0