netdev - [PATCH net-next v2 4/4] ipv6: Document defaults for max_{dst|hbh}_opts

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: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20260108171456.47519-5-tom@herbertland.com>
Date: Thu,  8 Jan 2026 09:14:56 -0800
From: Tom Herbert <tom@...bertland.com>
To: davem@...emloft.net,
	kuba@...nel.org,
	netdev@...r.kernel.org
Cc: Tom Herbert <tom@...bertland.com>
Subject: [PATCH net-next v2 4/4] ipv6: Document defaults for max_{dst|hbh}_opts_number sysctls

In the descriptions of max_dst_opts_number and max_hbh_opts_number
sysctls add text about how a zero setting means that a packet with
any Destination or Hop-by-Hop options is dropped.

Report the default for max_dst_opts_number to be zero (i.e. packets
with Destination options are dropped by default), and add a
justification.

Report the default for max_hbh_opts_number to be one.

Signed-off-by: Tom Herbert <tom@...bertland.com>
---
 Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.rst | 38 ++++++++++++++++++--------
 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.rst b/Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.rst
index bc9a01606daf..de078f7f6a17 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/ip-sysctl.rst
@@ -2474,20 +2474,36 @@ mld_qrv - INTEGER
 	Minimum: 1 (as specified by RFC6636 4.5)
 
 max_dst_opts_number - INTEGER
-	Maximum number of non-padding TLVs allowed in a Destination
-	options extension header. If this value is less than zero
-	then unknown options are disallowed and the number of known
-	TLVs allowed is the absolute value of this number.
-
-	Default: 8
+        Maximum number of non-padding TLVs allowed in a Destination
+        options extension header. If this value is zero then receive
+        Destination Options processing is disabled in which case packets
+        with the Destination Options extension header are dropped. If
+        this value is less than zero then unknown options are disallowed
+        and the number of known TLVs allowed is the absolute value of
+        this number.
+
+        The default is zero which means the all received packets with
+        Destination Options extension header are dropped. The rationale is that
+        for the vast majority of hosts, Destination Options serve no purpose.
+        In the thirty years of IPv6 no broadly useful IPv6 Destination options
+        have been defined, they have no security or even checksum protection,
+        latest data shows the Destination have drop rates on the Internet
+        from ten percent to more than thirty percent (depending on the size of
+        the extension header). They also have the potential to be used as a
+        Denial of Service attack.
+
+        Default: 0
 
 max_hbh_opts_number - INTEGER
 	Maximum number of non-padding TLVs allowed in a Hop-by-Hop
-	options extension header. If this value is less than zero
-	then unknown options are disallowed and the number of known
-	TLVs allowed is the absolute value of this number.
-
-	Default: 8
+	options extension header. If this value is zero then receive
+        Hop-by-Hop Options processing is disabled in which case packets
+        with the Hop-by-Hop Options extension header are dropped.
+        If this value is less than zero then unknown options are disallowed
+        and the number of known TLVs allowed is the absolute value of this
+        number.
+
+        Default: 1
 
 max_dst_opts_length - INTEGER
 	Maximum length allowed for a Destination options extension
-- 
2.43.0