[PATCH net v3 1/2] net/sched: sch_hfsc: bound the classify inner-filter walk with a drift budget
From: Jamal Hadi Salim <jhs@mojatatu.com>
Date: 2026-09-17 10:57:42
Subsystem:
networking [general], tc subsystem, the rest · Maintainers:
"David S. Miller", Eric Dumazet, Jakub Kicinski, Paolo Abeni, Jamal Hadi Salim, Jiri Pirko, Linus Torvalds
hfsc_classify() applies the "filter may only point downwards" level check
only when the filter result carries no bound class. A filter created with
a flowid gets res.class set once at bind time, so the check never runs for
it during classification. hfsc_adjust_levels() can later raise a class's
level without revalidating existing bindings, leaving two binds that were
each legal at bind time pointing at each other; the classify walk then
bounces between two interior classes forever with the qdisc lock held and
BH disabled — a soft lockup from a single packet. The stuck walk trips
the watchdog:
watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 13s! [ping:444]
RIP: 0010:u32_classify+0x542/0x17f0
...
tcf_classify+0x66/0xa0
hfsc_enqueue+0x166/0xdf0
Bound the traversal with a budget of non-descending hops, the only way a
configured walk can move without descending the class tree once levels
drift after bind time. The budget is cumulative over the whole walk and
is deliberately not reset on a descending hop: a chain that alternates a
descent with a lateral hop would return the budget every lap and never
trip. Descending hops never decrement it, so legitimately deep trees are
unaffected and a terminating lateral chain still classifies normally.
Drop the packet with a rate-limited warning once the budget is exhausted,
mirroring the merged HTB fix.
This is a follow-up to commit 729c4896ab82 ("net/sched: sch_htb: limit
htb_classify inner-class filter hops"), which bounded the same classify
loop on the HTB side but left the HFSC walk unbounded.
Conditions to recreate the bug:
- CONFIG_NET_SCHED, CONFIG_NET_SCH_HFSC, CONFIG_NET_CLS_U32,
CONFIG_LOCKUP_DETECTOR.
- Build a cycle with two legal-at-bind-time flowid binds and a level
drift: class X 1:1 (child of root) with leaf child 1:10; class Y 1:2
(sibling of X) with children 1:20 and 1:200; root u32 filter flowid
1:1; filter on X flowid 1:2 (legal when Y is a leaf); after Y's level
rises to 2, filter on Y flowid 1:1 (legal then). Send one packet (ping
on the device). Unfixed kernel: classify spins with the qdisc lock
held; with softlockup_panic=1 it panics.
- Reachable from unprivileged user via unshare -Urn (CAP_NET_ADMIN).
Fixes: a2f79227138c ("net_sched: sch_hfsc: fix classification loops")
Reported-by: Sashiko (gemini + nipa) <sashiko-bot@kernel.org>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/QDISC-CTUU.v2.20260913192614@mojatatu.com/ (local)
Link: https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/QDISC-CTUU.v2.20260913192614@mojatatu.com
Link: https://netdev-ai.bots.linux.dev/sashiko/#/patchset/QDISC-CTUU.v2.20260913192614%40mojatatu.com
Reviewed-by: Victor Nogueira <redacted>
Tested-by: hybris <redacted>
Signed-off-by: Jamal Hadi Salim <jhs@mojatatu.com>
---
v3:
- Reword the budget comment and the warning to describe the
cumulative non-descending hop budget that is implemented, and
explain why it is deliberately not reset on a descending hop.
(Sashiko: gemini, nipa)
v2:
- Replace the absolute hop bound (root->level) with a budget that
counts only non-descending hops, so a legal lateral chain still
classifies. (Sashiko)
- Reword the "strict descent" changelog claim (Sashiko).
---
net/sched/sch_hfsc.c | 22 ++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 22 insertions(+)
diff --git a/net/sched/sch_hfsc.c b/net/sched/sch_hfsc.c
index e87f5021a199..284490fd6ca9 100644
--- a/net/sched/sch_hfsc.c
+++ b/net/sched/sch_hfsc.c@@ -386,6 +386,15 @@ cftree_update(struct hfsc_class *cl) #define SM_MASK ((1ULL << SM_SHIFT) - 1) #define ISM_MASK ((1ULL << ISM_SHIFT) - 1) +/* + * Cap on the non-descending hops a classify walk may take before its + * filter chain is treated as misconfigured. A flowid binding that was + * legal at bind time can become lateral once hfsc_adjust_levels() + * raises a class level; a few such hops are legitimate, an unbounded + * run means the chain cycles. + */ +#define HFSC_CLASSIFY_MAX_DRIFT 8 + static inline u64 seg_x2y(u64 x, u64 sm) {
@@ -1133,6 +1142,7 @@ hfsc_classify(struct sk_buff *skb, struct Qdisc *sch, int *qerr) struct hfsc_class *head, *cl; struct tcf_result res; struct tcf_proto *tcf; + unsigned int drift; int result; if (TC_H_MAJ(skb->priority ^ sch->handle) == 0 &&
@@ -1142,6 +1152,7 @@ hfsc_classify(struct sk_buff *skb, struct Qdisc *sch, int *qerr) *qerr = NET_XMIT_SUCCESS | __NET_XMIT_BYPASS; head = &q->root; + drift = HFSC_CLASSIFY_MAX_DRIFT; tcf = rcu_dereference_bh(q->root.filter_list); while (tcf && (result = tcf_classify_qdisc(skb, tcf, &res, false)) >= 0) { #ifdef CONFIG_NET_CLS_ACT
@@ -1167,6 +1178,17 @@ hfsc_classify(struct sk_buff *skb, struct Qdisc *sch, int *qerr) if (cl->level == 0) return cl; /* hit leaf class */ + /* + * flowid binds skip the level check above (res.class is set + * at bind time and levels drift after), so a walk can follow + * lateral hops without descending; a bounded number of them + * is legal, more means the chain cycles. + */ + if (cl->level >= head->level && drift-- == 0) { + pr_warn_ratelimited("hfsc: classify hop budget exhausted, dropping packet\n"); + return NULL; + } + /* apply inner filter chain */ tcf = rcu_dereference_bh(cl->filter_list); head = cl; --
2.43.0