[PATCH v1 0/1] nvme-auth: constant-time DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[PATCH v1 0/1] nvme-auth: constant-time DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Xixin Liu]

DH-HMAC-CHAP compares HMAC digests during in-band authentication.  The
host and target paths currently use memcmp(), which may short-circuit on
the first differing byte and leak timing information to a remote party.

This series switches both security-sensitive comparisons to
crypto_memneq().  Non-secret memcmp() uses (fixed prefix strings, NGUID
checks) are unchanged.

Xixin Liu (1):
  nvme-auth: use crypto_memneq for DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

 drivers/nvme/host/auth.c               | 3 ++-
 drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c | 3 ++-
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
-- 
2.43.0

[PATCH v1 1/1] nvme-auth: use crypto_memneq for DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Xixin Liu]

DH-HMAC-CHAP authentication compares HMAC response digests with memcmp().
Standard memcmp() may stop at the first differing byte, which can leak
timing information to a remote attacker and allow incremental recovery
of the expected digest.

Use crypto_memneq() for constant-time comparison on both the host path
that validates the controller Success1 response and the target path that
validates the host Reply digest.  Other memcmp() uses in the NVMe auth
code (e.g. fixed string prefix checks) are not security-sensitive and
are left unchanged.

Signed-off-by: Xixin Liu <liuxixin@kylinos.cn>
---
 drivers/nvme/host/auth.c                 | 3 ++-
 drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c   | 3 ++-
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c b/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
index 111111111111..222222222222 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <linux/prandom.h>
 #include <linux/unaligned.h>
 #include <crypto/dh.h>
+#include <crypto/utils.h>
 #include "nvme.h"
 #include "fabrics.h"
 #include <linux/nvme-auth.h>
@@ -361,7 +362,7 @@ static int nvme_auth_process_dhchap_success1(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl,
 		return 0;
 
 	/* Validate controller response */
-	if (memcmp(chap->response, data->rval, data->hl)) {
+	if (crypto_memneq(chap->response, data->rval, data->hl)) {
 		dev_dbg(ctrl->device, "%s: qid %d ctrl response %*ph\n",
 			__func__, chap->qid, (int)chap->hash_len, data->rval);
 		dev_dbg(ctrl->device, "%s: qid %d host response %*ph\n",
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c b/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
index 333333333333..444444444444 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <linux/random.h>
 #include <linux/nvme-auth.h>
 #include <crypto/kpp.h>
+#include <crypto/utils.h>
 #include "nvmet.h"
 
 static void nvmet_auth_expired_work(struct work_struct *work)
@@ -177,7 +178,7 @@ static u16 nvmet_auth_reply(struct nvmet_req *req,
 		return NVME_AUTH_DHCHAP_FAILURE_FAILED;
 	}
 
-	if (memcmp(data->rval, response, data->hl)) {
+	if (crypto_memneq(data->rval, response, data->hl)) {
 		pr_info("ctrl %d qid %d host response mismatch\n",
 			ctrl->cntlid, req->sq->qid);
 		pr_debug("ctrl %d qid %d rval %*ph\n",
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH v1 1/1] nvme-auth: use crypto_memneq for DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Christoph Hellwig]

Looks good:

Reviewed-by: Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>

Re: [PATCH v1 1/1] nvme-auth: use crypto_memneq for DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Hannes Reinecke]

On 7/1/26 8:30 AM, Xixin Liu wrote:
> DH-HMAC-CHAP authentication compares HMAC response digests with memcmp().
> Standard memcmp() may stop at the first differing byte, which can leak
> timing information to a remote attacker and allow incremental recovery
> of the expected digest.
> 
> Use crypto_memneq() for constant-time comparison on both the host path
> that validates the controller Success1 response and the target path that
> validates the host Reply digest.  Other memcmp() uses in the NVMe auth
> code (e.g. fixed string prefix checks) are not security-sensitive and
> are left unchanged.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Xixin Liu <liuxixin@kylinos.cn>
> ---
>   drivers/nvme/host/auth.c                 | 3 ++-
>   drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c   | 3 ++-
>   2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c b/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
> index 111111111111..222222222222 100644
> --- a/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
> +++ b/drivers/nvme/host/auth.c
> @@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
>   #include <linux/prandom.h>
>   #include <linux/unaligned.h>
>   #include <crypto/dh.h>
> +#include <crypto/utils.h>
>   #include "nvme.h"
>   #include "fabrics.h"
>   #include <linux/nvme-auth.h>
> @@ -361,7 +362,7 @@ static int nvme_auth_process_dhchap_success1(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl,
>   		return 0;
>   
>   	/* Validate controller response */
> -	if (memcmp(chap->response, data->rval, data->hl)) {
> +	if (crypto_memneq(chap->response, data->rval, data->hl)) {
>   		dev_dbg(ctrl->device, "%s: qid %d ctrl response %*ph\n",
>   			__func__, chap->qid, (int)chap->hash_len, data->rval);
>   		dev_dbg(ctrl->device, "%s: qid %d host response %*ph\n",
> diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c b/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
> index 333333333333..444444444444 100644
> --- a/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
> +++ b/drivers/nvme/target/fabrics-cmd-auth.c
> @@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
>   #include <linux/random.h>
>   #include <linux/nvme-auth.h>
>   #include <crypto/kpp.h>
> +#include <crypto/utils.h>
>   #include "nvmet.h"
>   
>   static void nvmet_auth_expired_work(struct work_struct *work)
> @@ -177,7 +178,7 @@ static u16 nvmet_auth_reply(struct nvmet_req *req,
>   		return NVME_AUTH_DHCHAP_FAILURE_FAILED;
>   	}
>   
> -	if (memcmp(data->rval, response, data->hl)) {
> +	if (crypto_memneq(data->rval, response, data->hl)) {
>   		pr_info("ctrl %d qid %d host response mismatch\n",
>   			ctrl->cntlid, req->sq->qid);
>   		pr_debug("ctrl %d qid %d rval %*ph\n",

Reviewed-by: Hannes Reinecke <hare@kernel.org>

Cheers,

Hannes
-- 
Dr. Hannes Reinecke                  Kernel Storage Architect
hare@suse.de                                +49 911 74053 688
SUSE Software Solutions GmbH, Frankenstr. 146, 90461 Nürnberg
HRB 36809 (AG Nürnberg), GF: I. Totev, A. McDonald, W. Knoblich

Re: [PATCH v1 0/1] nvme-auth: constant-time DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Xixin Liu]

Hi Keith,

Gentle ping: this v1 still has Reviewed-by from Christoph and Hannes, please apply when you have a chance.

Thanks,
Xixin Liu

Re: [PATCH v1 0/1] nvme-auth: constant-time DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Keith Busch]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 11:30:00AM +0800, Xixin Liu wrote:
> Hi Keith,
> 
> Gentle ping: this v1 still has Reviewed-by from Christoph and Hannes, please apply when you have a chance.

Sorry, looks like I didn't send out the "applied" message to this patch.
This was applied a while ago for 7.2:

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit?id=3a6d89836ab09d53f4c32c57588689a378ce4363

Re: [PATCH v1 0/1] nvme-auth: constant-time DH-HMAC-CHAP response comparison

[Xixin Liu]

Hi Keith,

No worries at all, and thanks for applying.

Thanks,
Xixin Liu