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From: "Björn Töpel" <bjorn@kernel.org>
To: "Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@redhat.com>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: "Willem de Bruijn" <willemdebruijn.kernel@gmail.com>,
	"Chris Arges" <carges@cloudflare.com>,
	"Phil Sutter" <phil@nwl.cc>, "Jason Wang" <jasowangio@gmail.com>,
	"Eugenio Pérez" <eperezma@redhat.com>,
	"Xuan Zhuo" <xuanzhuo@linux.alibaba.com>,
	"Andrew Lunn" <andrew+netdev@lunn.ch>,
	"David S. Miller" <davem@davemloft.net>,
	"Eric Dumazet" <edumazet@kernel.org>,
	"Jakub Kicinski" <kuba@kernel.org>,
	"Paolo Abeni" <pabeni@redhat.com>,
	netdev@vger.kernel.org, virtualization@lists.linux.dev,
	"Max Krasnyansky" <maxk@qualcomm.com>,
	"Rusty Russell" <rusty@rustcorp.com.au>,
	"Jonathan Corbet" <corbet@lwn.net>,
	"Shuah Khan" <skhan@linuxfoundation.org>,
	"Randy Dunlap" <rdunlap@infradead.org>,
	"Simon Horman" <horms@kernel.org>,
	linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH net v3 6/8] net: add a sysctl to opt out of virtio net hdr checksum validation
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:19:16 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <87fqy13h97.fsf@all.your.base.are.belong.to.us> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <6f23c55c6eba3e3ec6b2c7e3a80728a326ed58af.1792411304.git.mst@redhat.com>

"Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@redhat.com> writes:

> The ingress validation as implemented by the previous
> patch is stricter than what it replaced: GSO
> packets whose checksum metadata matches no transport header are
> dropped, and non-GSO ones get their checksum completed in place.
> Such packets used to pass with the metadata unvalidated,
> and with no overhead.
>
> I judge that this should not affect any deployments, but there is still
> some risk that it does.  In case a deployment depends on them anyway,
> provide a per-netns switch to get the old behavior back:
>
> echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/core/virtio_net_hdr_csum_check
>
> The default is validating.
>
> Assisted-by: LLM
> Signed-off-by: Michael S. Tsirkin <mst@redhat.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst | 19 ++++++++
>  include/linux/virtio_net.h               | 23 +++++++++
>  include/net/netns/core.h                 |  1 +
>  net/core/dev.c                           |  6 +++
>  net/core/net_namespace.c                 |  1 +
>  net/core/sysctl_net_core.c               | 60 ++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  6 files changed, 110 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> index e586e17fc7a5..b1a1c4714b22 100644
> --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> @@ -246,6 +246,25 @@ processes are dropped unless socket option SOF_TIMESTAMPING_OPT_TSONLY is set.
>  Default: 1 (on)
>  
>  
> +virtio_net_hdr_csum_check
> +-------------------------
> +
> +When processing packets with a virtio net header (through tun, tap, a
> +packet socket or a virtio network device) that request checksum offload
> +(VIRTIO_NET_HDR_F_NEEDS_CSUM), validate the packet: complete the checksum
> +in software, or drop the packet where the header does not match it.
> +
> +When disabled, the header is trusted not to corrupt the packet, and the
> +checksum is offloaded to hardware (or not verified if it never reaches
> +hardware). This is only safe if no protocol is processing the packets.
> +
> +The setting is per network namespace, but only writable by the host
> +root: root inside a network namespace created by an unprivileged user
> +cannot disable the validation.
> +
> +Default: 1 (on)
> +
> +
>  wmem_default
>  ------------
>  
> diff --git a/include/linux/virtio_net.h b/include/linux/virtio_net.h
> index 97b554ef7123..25aa95c11e31 100644
> --- a/include/linux/virtio_net.h
> +++ b/include/linux/virtio_net.h
> @@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
>  #include <linux/if_vlan.h>
>  #include <linux/ip.h>
>  #include <linux/ipv6.h>
> +#include <linux/jump_label.h>
>  #include <linux/netdevice.h>
>  #include <linux/udp.h>
>  #include <net/gso.h>
> @@ -78,6 +79,19 @@ static inline struct iphdr *virtio_net_ip4_parse(struct sk_buff *skb,
>  	*thoff = nhoff + iph->ihl * sizeof(u32);
>  	return iph;
>  }
> +/* Defined in net/core/dev.c, enabled while any network namespace
> + * has net.core.virtio_net_hdr_csum_check set to 0.
> + */
> +DECLARE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key);
> +
> +/* Failsafe: a namespace can disable the check with
> + * net.core.virtio_net_hdr_csum_check.
> + */
> +static inline bool virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled(struct sk_buff *skb)
> +{
> +	return static_branch_unlikely(&virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key) &&
> +	       !READ_ONCE(dev_net(skb->dev)->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check);
> +}
>  
>  /* Where does the L3 header start, and what protocol is it?
>   * Handles Ethernet and VLAN headers; other devices use the
> @@ -179,6 +193,12 @@ virtio_net_csum_partial_ok_at_offset(struct sk_buff *skb, u8 hdr_gso_type,
>  	unsigned int thoff;
>  	int ip_proto;
>  
> +	/* Failsafe: a namespace opted out of the validation,
> +	 * trust the checksum metadata as before.
> +	 */
> +	if (virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled(skb))
> +		return true;
> +
>  	if (!virtio_net_l4_start(skb, nhoff, proto, &thoff, &ip_proto))
>  		return false;
>  
> @@ -516,6 +536,9 @@ virtio_net_tnl_offsets_ok(struct sk_buff *skb, bool outer_isv6,
>  	unsigned int thoff;
>  	int ip_proto;
>  
> +	if (virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled(skb))
> +		return true;
> +
>  	if (!virtio_net_l3_start(skb, &nhoff, &proto))
>  		return false;
>  	if (outer_isv6 != (proto == htons(ETH_P_IPV6)))
> diff --git a/include/net/netns/core.h b/include/net/netns/core.h
> index 9ef3d70e5e9c..ae8110772c97 100644
> --- a/include/net/netns/core.h
> +++ b/include/net/netns/core.h
> @@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ struct netns_core {
>  	u8	sysctl_txrehash;
>  	u8	sysctl_tstamp_allow_data;
>  	u8	sysctl_bypass_prot_mem;
> +	u8	sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check;
>  
>  #ifdef CONFIG_PROC_FS
>  	struct prot_inuse __percpu *prot_inuse;
> diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
> index e76762e29360..d14950b1af3a 100644
> --- a/net/core/dev.c
> +++ b/net/core/dev.c
> @@ -2389,6 +2389,12 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(tcf_sw_enabled_key);
>  
>  DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(netstamp_needed_key);
>  EXPORT_SYMBOL(netstamp_needed_key);
> +
> +/* Enabled while any network namespace has net.core.virtio_net_hdr_csum_check
> + * set to 0.
> + */
> +DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key);
> +EXPORT_SYMBOL(virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key);
>  #ifdef CONFIG_JUMP_LABEL
>  static atomic_t netstamp_needed_deferred;
>  static atomic_t netstamp_wanted;
> diff --git a/net/core/net_namespace.c b/net/core/net_namespace.c
> index da5f881fbd3b..2d340fafba85 100644
> --- a/net/core/net_namespace.c
> +++ b/net/core/net_namespace.c
> @@ -396,6 +396,7 @@ static __net_init void preinit_net_sysctl(struct net *net)
>  	net->core.sysctl_optmem_max = 128 * 1024;
>  	net->core.sysctl_txrehash = SOCK_TXREHASH_ENABLED;
>  	net->core.sysctl_tstamp_allow_data = 1;
> +	net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check = 1;
>  	net->core.sysctl_txq_reselection = msecs_to_jiffies(1000);
>  }
>  
> diff --git a/net/core/sysctl_net_core.c b/net/core/sysctl_net_core.c
> index eb35da3556f4..c65ff86cc5f9 100644
> --- a/net/core/sysctl_net_core.c
> +++ b/net/core/sysctl_net_core.c
> @@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
>  #include <linux/slab.h>
>  #include <linux/sched/isolation.h>
>  #include <linux/hex.h>
> +#include <linux/jump_label.h>
>  
>  #include <net/ip.h>
>  #include <net/sock.h>
> @@ -678,6 +679,54 @@ static struct ctl_table net_core_table[] = {
>  	},
>  };
>  
> +/* Defined in net/core/dev.c, declared for the gate in
> + * include/linux/virtio_net.h.
> + */
> +DECLARE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key);
> +
> +/*
> + * Protects changes to virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key and each
> + * net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check. Readers don't use a lock.
> + */

nit: OCD doesn't like mixing old netdev comments with vanilla style...
one VVV as well.

> +static DEFINE_MUTEX(virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_mutex);
> +
> +static int virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_sysctl(const struct ctl_table *table,
> +					    int write, void *buffer,
> +					    size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos)
> +{
> +	struct net *net = (struct net *)table->data;
> +	/* checkpatch warns but this can't be const: tmp.data is set
> below */

nit: Redundant comment...

> +	struct ctl_table tmp = *table;

...and here, can't we instead get rid of tmp, and do something like:
    | u8 *value = table->data;
    | u8 old, new;

> +	u8 old;
> +	int ret;
> +
> +	/* Root in a user namespace must not be able to weaken the
> +	 * validation for the network namespace it controls.
> +	 */
> +	if (write && !capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN))
> +		return -EPERM;
> +
> +	/*
> +	 * Make sure virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_disabled_key counts zero values of
> +	 * net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check.
> +	 */
> +	mutex_lock(&virtio_net_hdr_csum_check_mutex);
> +
> +	old = net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check;
> +	tmp.data = &net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check;
> +	ret = proc_dou8vec_minmax(&tmp, write, buffer, lenp, ppos);
> +	if (write && !ret && old != net->core.sysctl_virtio_net_hdr_csum_check) {

and then:
    | old = READ_ONCE(*value);
    | ret = proc_dou8vec_minmax(table, write, buffer, lenp, ppos);
    | new = READ_ONCE(*value);
    | 
    | if (write && !ret && old != new) {

at least that's easier to read for me. (No blocker!)


Reviewed-by: Björn Töpel <bjorn@kernel.org>

  reply	other threads:[~2026-10-19 14:19 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 13+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-10-19 12:03 [PATCH net v3 0/8] more virtio-net csum hardening Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 1/8] net: account for ingress-resolved virtio net hdr state Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 2/8] um: vector: honor virtio net hdr conversion failures Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 3/8] um: vector: trim skbs before verifying the header Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 4/8] virtio_net: parse tunnel csum_start little-endian Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 5/8] net: resolve uncommon partial checksums at ingress Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 6/8] net: add a sysctl to opt out of virtio net hdr checksum validation Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 14:19   ` Björn Töpel [this message]
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 7/8] net: add ip4_parse() Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:03 ` [PATCH net v3 8/8] virtio_net: cleanup protocol calculation Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 12:09 ` [PATCH net v3 0/8] more virtio-net csum hardening netdev-bot+sinfo
2026-10-19 12:21   ` Michael S. Tsirkin
2026-10-19 16:51 ` Chris Arges

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