From: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
To: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
Cc: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>, Vincent Mailhol <mailhol@kernel.org>,
Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>,
Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>,
Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>,
Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>,
linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] randstruct: fix container_of() false positives after __mptr removal
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2026 16:24:35 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260903232438.60394-1-kees@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260903232428.i.323-kees@kernel.org>
Commit f9e7a7564834 ("container_of: remove local __mptr variable") dropped
the "void *__mptr" temporary from container_of(). The randstruct GCC
plugin's find_bad_casts pass recognized the casts container_of() generates
by that variable's name:
const_tree ssa_name_var = SSA_NAME_VAR(rhs1);
/* skip bogus type casts introduced by container_of */
if (ssa_name_var != NULL_TREE && DECL_NAME(ssa_name_var) &&
!strcmp(DECL_NAME_POINTER(ssa_name_var), "__mptr"))
continue;
With the variable gone the suppression never fires, so every
container_of() whose container type is randomized now emits a note:
include/linux/container_of.h:23:9: note: randstruct: casting between
randomized structure pointer types (ssa): 'struct ocfs2_triggers' and
'struct jbd2_buffer_trigger_type'
fs/ocfs2/journal.c:524:16: note: in expansion of macro 'container_of'
The pass runs on GIMPLE, after folding, and for a member at offset 0 the
whole expression collapses to a bare copy that is indistinguishable from
an unsafe cast:
to_ocfs2_trigger (struct jbd2_buffer_trigger_type * triggers)
{
_2 = triggers_1(D); /* void * cast and subtraction gone */
return _2;
}
Match the type relationship instead. A cast from A * to B * is a
container_of() if B reaches a field of type A at offset 0 through a chain
of by-value members. The chain matters: container_of()'s member argument
may be a dotted path, as in ceph_inode(), which is container_of(inode,
struct ceph_inode_info, netfs.inode) and needs two levels. The search
is depth-bounded to 4 just in case, since real paths are generally one
or two members deep.
Requiring the cast happens at offset 0 is done because any other member
offset the subtraction survives folding and the cast's rhs is still
void *, which the pass already skips a few lines above.
A cast between two randomized types with no containment relationship is
still reported. Verified with:
struct cred *f(struct file *f) { return (struct cred *)f; }
which is still flagged with the patch applied.
Clang's implementation is unaffected. It checks the cast as written, and
both the old and new macros cast from void *, which is always permitted;
a genuinely bad cast is rejected there as a hard error rather than a note.
Build tested ARCH=x86_64 defconfig with CONFIG_RANDSTRUCT_FULL=y and GCC
14.2.0: randstruct notes 52 before, 0 after.
Fixes: f9e7a7564834 ("container_of: remove local __mptr variable")
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-5[1m]
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
---
scripts/gcc-plugins/randomize_layout_plugin.c | 61 ++++++++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 58 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/scripts/gcc-plugins/randomize_layout_plugin.c b/scripts/gcc-plugins/randomize_layout_plugin.c
index ff65a4f87f24..e2bd9ba08089 100644
--- a/scripts/gcc-plugins/randomize_layout_plugin.c
+++ b/scripts/gcc-plugins/randomize_layout_plugin.c
@@ -698,6 +698,63 @@ static void handle_local_var_initializers(void)
}
}
+/*
+ * Does @container reach a field of type @member_type by a chain of
+ * by-value members? That is the relationship container_of() expresses --
+ * its @member argument may be a dotted path, e.g.
+ * container_of(inode, struct ceph_inode_info, netfs.inode) -- so a cast
+ * from @member_type * to @container * is legitimate rather than a
+ * layout-confusing one.
+ *
+ * container_of() used to leave a "void *__mptr" temporary behind, and this
+ * pass recognised such casts by that name. Commit f9e7a7564834
+ * ("container_of: remove local __mptr variable") removed it to stop nested
+ * container_of() shadowing itself, and the cast now folds to a bare SSA
+ * copy when the member sits at offset 0, leaving nothing syntactic to key
+ * on. Match the type relationship instead.
+ *
+ * The depth bound keeps this cheap; container_of() paths are one or two
+ * members deep in practice.
+ */
+#define CONTAINER_OF_MAX_DEPTH 4
+
+static bool is_container_of_cast(const_tree container, const_tree member_type,
+ int depth)
+{
+ const_tree field;
+
+ if (container == NULL_TREE || depth > CONTAINER_OF_MAX_DEPTH)
+ return false;
+
+ if (TREE_CODE(container) != RECORD_TYPE &&
+ TREE_CODE(container) != UNION_TYPE)
+ return false;
+
+ for (field = TYPE_FIELDS(container); field; field = DECL_CHAIN(field)) {
+ const_tree field_type;
+
+ if (TREE_CODE(field) != FIELD_DECL)
+ continue;
+
+ /*
+ * Only a member at offset 0 can reach here: for any other
+ * offset container_of()'s subtraction survives folding, the
+ * cast's rhs stays void *, and the caller skipped it above.
+ */
+ if (!integer_zerop(byte_position(field)))
+ continue;
+
+ field_type = TYPE_MAIN_VARIANT(TREE_TYPE(field));
+ if (field_type == member_type)
+ return true;
+
+ if (is_container_of_cast(field_type, member_type, depth + 1))
+ return true;
+ }
+
+ return false;
+}
+
/*
* iterate over all statements to find "bad" casts:
* those where the address of the start of a structure is cast
@@ -799,10 +856,8 @@ static unsigned int find_bad_casts_execute(void)
#endif
MISMATCH(gimple_location(stmt), "op0", ptr_lhs_type, op0_type);
} else {
- const_tree ssa_name_var = SSA_NAME_VAR(rhs1);
/* skip bogus type casts introduced by container_of */
- if (ssa_name_var != NULL_TREE && DECL_NAME(ssa_name_var) &&
- !strcmp((const char *)DECL_NAME_POINTER(ssa_name_var), "__mptr"))
+ if (is_container_of_cast(ptr_lhs_type, ptr_rhs_type, 0))
continue;
#ifndef __DEBUG_PLUGIN
if (lookup_attribute("randomize_performed", TYPE_ATTRIBUTES(ptr_rhs_type)))
--
2.34.1
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-09-03 23:24 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-09-03 23:24 [PATCH 0/2] " Kees Cook
2026-09-03 23:24 ` Kees Cook [this message]
2026-09-03 23:24 ` [PATCH 2/2] randstruct: report bad casts as warnings rather than notes Kees Cook
2026-09-04 18:14 ` Bill Wendling
2026-09-04 20:24 ` Nathan Chancellor
2026-09-05 0:48 ` Kees Cook
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=20260903232438.60394-1-kees@kernel.org \
--to=kees@kernel.org \
--cc=gregkh@linuxfoundation.org \
--cc=justinstitt@google.com \
--cc=linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=mailhol@kernel.org \
--cc=morbo@google.com \
--cc=nathan@kernel.org \
--cc=ndesaulniers@google.com \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox
all inboxes | Powered by JetHome®