2020-05-07 18:48:50

by Gustavo A. R. Silva

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: [PATCH] libbpf: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
introduced in C99:

struct foo {
int stuff;
struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>
---
kernel/bpf/queue_stack_maps.c | 2 +-
tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c | 2 +-
tools/lib/bpf/libbpf_internal.h | 2 +-
tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/core_reloc_types.h | 2 +-
4 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/bpf/queue_stack_maps.c b/kernel/bpf/queue_stack_maps.c
index f697647ceb54..30e1373fd437 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/queue_stack_maps.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/queue_stack_maps.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ struct bpf_queue_stack {
u32 head, tail;
u32 size; /* max_entries + 1 */

- char elements[0] __aligned(8);
+ char elements[] __aligned(8);
};

static struct bpf_queue_stack *bpf_queue_stack(struct bpf_map *map)
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
index 8f480e29a6b0..b9335c686353 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
@@ -8035,7 +8035,7 @@ static struct perf_buffer *__perf_buffer__new(int map_fd, size_t page_cnt,
struct perf_sample_raw {
struct perf_event_header header;
uint32_t size;
- char data[0];
+ char data[];
};

struct perf_sample_lost {
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf_internal.h b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf_internal.h
index 8c3afbd97747..50d70e90d5f1 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf_internal.h
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf_internal.h
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ struct btf_ext_info_sec {
__u32 sec_name_off;
__u32 num_info;
/* Followed by num_info * record_size number of bytes */
- __u8 data[0];
+ __u8 data[];
};

/* The minimum bpf_func_info checked by the loader */
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/core_reloc_types.h b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/core_reloc_types.h
index 6d598cfbdb3e..34d84717c946 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/core_reloc_types.h
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/core_reloc_types.h
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ struct core_reloc_arrays___equiv_zero_sz_arr {
struct core_reloc_arrays_substruct c[3];
struct core_reloc_arrays_substruct d[1][2];
/* equivalent to flexible array */
- struct core_reloc_arrays_substruct f[0][2];
+ struct core_reloc_arrays_substruct f[][2];
};

struct core_reloc_arrays___fixed_arr {


2020-05-09 19:18:58

by Yonghong Song

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] libbpf: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array



On 5/7/20 11:50 AM, Gustavo A. R. Silva wrote:
> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
> extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
> variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
> introduced in C99:
>
> struct foo {
> int stuff;
> struct boo array[];
> };
>
> By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
> in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
> will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
> inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.
>
> Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
> this change:
>
> "Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
> may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
> zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]
>
> sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
> members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
> which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
> zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
> some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
> help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.
>
> This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.
>
> [1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
> [2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
> [3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")
>
> Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>

I think this is probably for bpf-next.

Acked-by: Yonghong Song <[email protected]>

2020-05-11 15:30:31

by Daniel Borkmann

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] libbpf: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

On 5/9/20 9:16 PM, Yonghong Song wrote:
> On 5/7/20 11:50 AM, Gustavo A. R. Silva wrote:
>> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
>> extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
>> variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
>> introduced in C99:
>>
>> struct foo {
>>          int stuff;
>>          struct boo array[];
>> };
>>
>> By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
>> in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
>> will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
>> inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.
>>
>> Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
>> this change:
>>
>> "Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
>> may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
>> zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]
>>
>> sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
>> members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
>> which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
>> zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
>> some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
>> help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.
>>
>> This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.
>>
>> [1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
>> [2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
>> [3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <[email protected]>
>
> I think this is probably for bpf-next.
>
> Acked-by: Yonghong Song <[email protected]>

Applied, thanks!