The kernel leaks memory when a `fib` rule is present in ipv6 nftables firewall rules and a suppress_prefix rule
is present in the IPv6 routing rules (used by certain tools such as wg-quick). In such scenarios, every incoming
packet will leak an allocation in ip6_dst_cache slab cache.
After some hours of `bpftrace`-ing and source code reading, I tracked down the issue to this commit:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26
The problem with that patch is that the generic args->flags always have FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF set[1][2] but the
ip6-specific flag RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF might not be specified, leading to fib6_rule_suppress not
decreasing the refcount when needed. This can be fixed by exposing the protocol-specific flags to the
protocol specific `suppress` function, and check the protocol-specific `flags` argument for
RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF instead of the generic FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF when decreasing the refcount.
How to reproduce:
- Add the following nftables rule to a prerouting chain: `meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop`
- Run `sudo ip -6 rule add table main suppress_prefixlength 0`
- Watch `sudo slabtop -o | grep ip6_dst_cache` memory usage increase with every incoming ipv6 packet
Example patch:https://gist.github.com/msizanoen1/36a2853467a9bd34fadc5bb3783fde0f
[1]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L71
[2]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L99
On 10/26/21 8:24 AM, msizanoen wrote:
> The kernel leaks memory when a `fib` rule is present in ipv6 nftables
> firewall rules and a suppress_prefix rule
> is present in the IPv6 routing rules (used by certain tools such as
> wg-quick). In such scenarios, every incoming
> packet will leak an allocation in ip6_dst_cache slab cache.
>
> After some hours of `bpftrace`-ing and source code reading, I tracked
> down the issue to this commit:
> https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26
>
>
> The problem with that patch is that the generic args->flags always have
> FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF set[1][2] but the
> ip6-specific flag RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF might not be specified, leading
> to fib6_rule_suppress not
> decreasing the refcount when needed. This can be fixed by exposing the
> protocol-specific flags to the
> protocol specific `suppress` function, and check the protocol-specific
> `flags` argument for
> RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF instead of the generic FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF when
> decreasing the refcount.
>
> How to reproduce:
> - Add the following nftables rule to a prerouting chain: `meta nfproto
> ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop`
exact command? I have not played with nftables. Do you have a stack
trace of where the dst reference is getting taken?
> - Run `sudo ip -6 rule add table main suppress_prefixlength 0`
> - Watch `sudo slabtop -o | grep ip6_dst_cache` memory usage increase
> with every incoming ipv6 packet
>
> Example
> patch:https://gist.github.com/msizanoen1/36a2853467a9bd34fadc5bb3783fde0f
>
> [1]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L71
>
> [2]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L99
>
>
>
> exact command? I have not played with nftables.
sudo nft create table inet test
sudo nft create chain inet test test_chain '{ type filter hook
prerouting priority filter + 10; policy accept; }'
sudo nft add rule inet test test_chain meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr .
mark . iif oif missing drop
> Do you have a stack
> trace of where the dst reference is getting taken?
ip6_dst_alloc+5
ip6_create_rt_rcu+107
ip6_pol_route_lookup+741
fib6_rule_action+707
fib_rules_lookup+342
fib6_rule_lookup+150
nft_fib6_eval+354
nft_do_chain+339
nft_do_chain_inet+123
nf_hook_slow+63
nf_hook_slow_list+129
ip6_sublist_rcv+606
ipv6_list_rcv+296
__netif_receive_skb_list_core+489
netif_receive_skb_list_internal+433
napi_complete_done+111
virtnet_poll+771
__napi_poll+42
net_rx_action+547
__softirqentry_text_start+208
__irq_exit_rcu+199
common_interrupt+131
asm_common_interrupt+30
native_safe_halt+11
default_idle+10
default_idle_call+53
do_idle+487
cpu_startup_entry+25
secondary_startup_64_no_verify+194
Collected using the following bpftrace script:
kretfunc:ip6_dst_alloc { @[(uint64)retval] = kstack(); }
kfunc:ip6_dst_destroy { delete(@[(uint64)args->dst]); }
On 10/30/21 06:53, David Ahern wrote:
> On 10/26/21 8:24 AM, msizanoen wrote:
>> The kernel leaks memory when a `fib` rule is present in ipv6 nftables
>> firewall rules and a suppress_prefix rule
>> is present in the IPv6 routing rules (used by certain tools such as
>> wg-quick). In such scenarios, every incoming
>> packet will leak an allocation in ip6_dst_cache slab cache.
>>
>> After some hours of `bpftrace`-ing and source code reading, I tracked
>> down the issue to this commit:
>> https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26
>>
>>
>> The problem with that patch is that the generic args->flags always have
>> FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF set[1][2] but the
>> ip6-specific flag RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF might not be specified, leading
>> to fib6_rule_suppress not
>> decreasing the refcount when needed. This can be fixed by exposing the
>> protocol-specific flags to the
>> protocol specific `suppress` function, and check the protocol-specific
>> `flags` argument for
>> RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF instead of the generic FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF when
>> decreasing the refcount.
>>
>> How to reproduce:
>> - Add the following nftables rule to a prerouting chain: `meta nfproto
>> ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop`
> exact command? I have not played with nftables. Do you have a stack
> trace of where the dst reference is getting taken?
>
>
>> - Run `sudo ip -6 rule add table main suppress_prefixlength 0`
>> - Watch `sudo slabtop -o | grep ip6_dst_cache` memory usage increase
>> with every incoming ipv6 packet
>>
>> Example
>> patch:https://gist.github.com/msizanoen1/36a2853467a9bd34fadc5bb3783fde0f
>>
>> [1]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L71
>>
>> [2]:https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L99
>>
>>
>>