Re: [PATCH net-next 1/4] netlink: truncate overlength attribute list in nla_nest_end()

On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 12:42 PM Edwin Peer [off-list ref] wrote:

Then, if nla_put() can detect nesting errors, there's the issue of
what to do in the case of errors. Case in point, the IFLA_VFINFO_LIST
scenario would now require explicit error handling in the generator
logic, because we can't fail hard at that point. We would need to be
sure we propagate all possible nesting errors up to a common location
(probably where the nest ends, which is where we're dealing with the
problem in this solution), set the truncated flag and carry on (for
the same net effect the trim in nla_nest_end() has).

Also, the unwind here turns out to be just as complicated, requiring a
traversal from the start and a trim anyway, because the attribute that
triggers the overflow may be deep inside the hierarchy. We can't
simply truncate at this point. We should remove whole elements at the
uppermost level, or risk having partially filled attribute trees
rather than missing attributes at the level of the exceeded nest -
which may be worse.

Regards,
Edwin Peer