bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record
Kumar Kartikeya Dwivedi
maintainerPATCH 1/1 bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record
bpf_ma_set_dtor() duplicates map->record so that the bpf_mem_alloc destructor can release the special fields of hash and rhash map elements once the allocator frees them for good. btf_record_dup() only acquires references on kernel and module BTF. Fields whose types live in the map BTF keep pointing into it: a kptr to a local type refers to map->btf, and a list_head or rb_root field carries a value_rec owned by the struct meta table of map->btf.
That borrowed state can outlive the map. When RCU callbacks are still in flight, bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() copies the allocator and defers the final drain, together with the destructor context, to a workqueue. bpf_map_free() then frees map->record and drops the map's BTF reference as soon as map_free() returns. Once the program that loaded the BTF is gone as well, the BTF is freed while the worker still uses the duplicate. The worker dereferences it through btf_is_kernel() and btf_find_struct_meta() in bpf_obj_free_fields() when destroying elements that were freed under RCU, and through btf_is_kernel() in btf_record_free() when releasing the context itself:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88811505dce8 by task kworker/u16:2/50 Workqueue: events_unbound free_mem_alloc_deferred Call Trace: btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30 btf_record_free+0xc7/0xf0 htab_dtor_ctx_free+0x1a/0x30 free_mem_alloc_no_barrier+0x39/0x230 free_mem_alloc_deferred+0x2a/0x40 process_scheduled_works+0x5ce/0x9d0 worker_thread+0x42a/0x5e0 kthread+0x1f5/0x230 ret_from_fork+0x1dd/0x390 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 Allocated by task 358: __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x287/0x510 btf_new_fd+0xf7/0x3d0 __sys_bpf+0x487/0x840 Freed by task 0: kfree+0x186/0x560 rcu_core+0x6f6/0xd40
Freeing a map that still holds more elements than the allocator's high watermark is enough to get there, because the bulk free during teardown queues the RCU callback that makes bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() defer. Non-preallocated hash maps and resizable hash maps both register the destructor and are affected alike.
Keep one reference on the map BTF in the destructor context. Every non-kernel pointer in the duplicated record is either map->btf or memory owned by it, so a single reference covers kptrs, list heads, and rb roots, and mirrors what bpf_map_meta_alloc() does for the duplicated record of an inner map. Release it only after the duplicated record has been freed: the worker is preemptible and not in an RCU read-side critical section, so dropping the last reference first would let the BTF be freed while btf_record_free() still reads its fields.
--- kernel/bpf/hashtab.c | 17 ++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
kernel/bpf/hashtab.c +16 -1
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ struct htab_elem {struct htab_btf_record {struct btf_record *record; +struct btf *btf;u32 key_size; };
@@ -497,8 +498,13 @@ static void htab_dtor_ctx_free(void *ctx) {struct htab_btf_record *hrec = ctx; +/* +* The duplicated record still points into the map BTF, so free it +* before dropping the reference that keeps that BTF alive. +*/ btf_record_free (hrec->record); -kfree (ctx); +btf_put (hrec->btf); +kfree (hrec); } static int bpf_ma_set_dtor(struct bpf_map *map, struct bpf_mem_alloc *ma,
@@ -521,6 +527,15 @@ static int bpf_ma_set_dtor(struct bpf_map *map, struct bpf_mem_alloc *ma,kfree (hrec);return err; } +/* +* btf_record_dup() only acquires kernel and module BTF. Fields whose +* types live in the map BTF keep pointing into it: kptrs to local +* types refer to map->btf, and graph roots carry a value record owned +* by its struct meta table. The context can outlive the map when the +* allocator defers its teardown, so hold a reference of our own. +*/ + hrec->btf = map->btf; +btf_get (hrec->btf);bpf_mem_alloc_set_dtor (ma, dtor, htab_dtor_ctx_free, hrec);return 0 ; }
Signature · 1 line
2.53.0
This patch was applied to bpf/bpf.git (master) by Alexei Starovoitov <[email protected]>:
Hello:
This patch was applied to bpf/bpf.git (master)
by Alexei Starovoitov <[email protected]>:
Quoted 9 lines · On Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:46:51 +0200 you wrote:
bpf_ma_set_dtor()duplicatesmap->recordso that thebpf_mem_allocdestructor can release the special fields of hash and rhash map elements once the allocator frees them for good.btf_record_dup()only acquires references on kernel and module BTF. Fields whose types live in the map BTF keep pointing into it: a kptr to a local type refers tomap->btf, and alist_headorrb_rootfield carries avalue_recowned by the struct meta table ofmap->btf.[...]
Here is the summary with links:
- [bpf] bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record
https://git.kernel.org/bpf/bpf/c/ab39974240a0
You are awesome, thank you!
Signature · 2 lines
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