[PATCH] checkpatch: Warn about 0-length and 1-element arrays

From: Kees Cook
Date: Wed May 17 2023 - 16:45:45 EST


Fake flexible arrays have been deprecated since last millennium. Proper
C99 flexible arrays must be used throughout the kernel so
CONFIG_FORTIFY_SOURCE and CONFIG_UBSAN_BOUNDS can provide proper array
bounds checking.

Cc: Andy Whitcroft <apw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Joe Perches <joe@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dwaipayan Ray <dwaipayanray1@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
I couldn't find a better way to figure out if a patch line is part of
a structure definition. I'm open to ideas! e.g. this would have
caught commit f5823fe6897c.
---
scripts/checkpatch.pl | 14 ++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index a90e0ede53ad..415b3c14589b 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -7430,6 +7430,20 @@ sub process {
}
}

+# check for fake flexible array declarations (i.e. not in function scope)
+ if (!defined($context_function)) {
+ if ($line =~ /^\+\s*((struct|union|enum)\s+$Ident|$Type|})\s+$Ident\s*\[0\][^;]*;/) {
+ if (WARN("ZERO_LENGTH_ARRAY",
+ "Use C99 flexible arrays instead of zero-length arrays - see https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/78\n"; . $herecurr) && $fix) {
+ $fixed[$fixlinenr] =~ s/\[0\]/[]/g;
+ }
+ }
+ if ($line =~ /^\+\s*((struct|union|enum)\s+$Ident|$Type|})\s+$Ident\s*\[1\][^;]*;/) {
+ WARN("ONE_ELEMENT_ARRAY",
+ "Use C99 flexible arrays instead of one-element arrays - see https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/79\n"; . $herecurr);
+ }
+ }
+
# nested likely/unlikely calls
if ($line =~ /\b(?:(?:un)?likely)\s*\(\s*!?\s*(IS_ERR(?:_OR_NULL|_VALUE)?|WARN)/) {
WARN("LIKELY_MISUSE",
--
2.34.1