[PATCH v2 4/9] slab: Introduce kmem_buckets_create()

From: Kees Cook
Date: Tue Mar 05 2024 - 05:11:21 EST


Dedicated caches are available For fixed size allocations via
kmem_cache_alloc(), but for dynamically sized allocations there is only
the global kmalloc API's set of buckets available. This means it isn't
possible to separate specific sets of dynamically sized allocations into
a separate collection of caches.

This leads to a use-after-free exploitation weakness in the Linux
kernel since many heap memory spraying/grooming attacks depend on using
userspace-controllable dynamically sized allocations to collide with
fixed size allocations that end up in same cache.

While CONFIG_RANDOM_KMALLOC_CACHES provides a probabilistic defense
against these kinds of "type confusion" attacks, including for fixed
same-size heap objects, we can create a complementary deterministic
defense for dynamically sized allocations.

In order to isolate user-controllable sized allocations from system
allocations, introduce kmem_buckets_create(), which behaves like
kmem_cache_create(). (The next patch will introduce kmem_buckets_alloc(),
which behaves like kmem_cache_alloc().)

Allows for confining allocations to a dedicated set of sized caches
(which have the same layout as the kmalloc caches).

This can also be used in the future once codetag allocation annotations
exist to implement per-caller allocation cache isolation[1] even for
dynamic allocations.

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/202402211449.401382D2AF@keescook [1]
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Cc: Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Christoph Lameter <cl@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Pekka Enberg <penberg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: David Rientjes <rientjes@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Joonsoo Kim <iamjoonsoo.kim@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Roman Gushchin <roman.gushchin@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Hyeonggon Yoo <42.hyeyoo@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: linux-mm@xxxxxxxxx
---
include/linux/slab.h | 5 +++
mm/slab_common.c | 72 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2 files changed, 77 insertions(+)

diff --git a/include/linux/slab.h b/include/linux/slab.h
index f26ac9a6ef9f..058d0e3cd181 100644
--- a/include/linux/slab.h
+++ b/include/linux/slab.h
@@ -493,6 +493,11 @@ void *kmem_cache_alloc_lru(struct kmem_cache *s, struct list_lru *lru,
gfp_t gfpflags) __assume_slab_alignment __malloc;
void kmem_cache_free(struct kmem_cache *s, void *objp);

+kmem_buckets *kmem_buckets_create(const char *name, unsigned int align,
+ slab_flags_t flags,
+ unsigned int useroffset, unsigned int usersize,
+ void (*ctor)(void *));
+
/*
* Bulk allocation and freeing operations. These are accelerated in an
* allocator specific way to avoid taking locks repeatedly or building
diff --git a/mm/slab_common.c b/mm/slab_common.c
index 1d0f25b6ae91..03ba9aac96b6 100644
--- a/mm/slab_common.c
+++ b/mm/slab_common.c
@@ -392,6 +392,74 @@ kmem_cache_create(const char *name, unsigned int size, unsigned int align,
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL(kmem_cache_create);

+static struct kmem_cache *kmem_buckets_cache __ro_after_init;
+
+kmem_buckets *kmem_buckets_create(const char *name, unsigned int align,
+ slab_flags_t flags,
+ unsigned int useroffset,
+ unsigned int usersize,
+ void (*ctor)(void *))
+{
+ kmem_buckets *b;
+ int idx;
+
+ if (WARN_ON(!kmem_buckets_cache))
+ return NULL;
+
+ b = kmem_cache_alloc(kmem_buckets_cache, GFP_KERNEL|__GFP_ZERO);
+ if (WARN_ON(!b))
+ return NULL;
+
+ flags |= SLAB_NO_MERGE;
+
+ for (idx = 0; idx < ARRAY_SIZE(kmalloc_caches[KMALLOC_NORMAL]); idx++) {
+ char *short_size, *cache_name;
+ unsigned int cache_useroffset, cache_usersize;
+ unsigned int size;
+
+ if (!kmalloc_caches[KMALLOC_NORMAL][idx])
+ continue;
+
+ size = kmalloc_caches[KMALLOC_NORMAL][idx]->object_size;
+ if (!size)
+ continue;
+
+ short_size = strchr(kmalloc_caches[KMALLOC_NORMAL][idx]->name, '-');
+ if (WARN_ON(!short_size))
+ goto fail;
+
+ cache_name = kasprintf(GFP_KERNEL, "%s-%s", name, short_size + 1);
+ if (WARN_ON(!cache_name))
+ goto fail;
+
+ if (useroffset >= size) {
+ cache_useroffset = 0;
+ cache_usersize = 0;
+ } else {
+ cache_useroffset = useroffset;
+ cache_usersize = min(size - cache_useroffset, usersize);
+ }
+ (*b)[idx] = kmem_cache_create_usercopy(cache_name, size,
+ align, flags, cache_useroffset,
+ cache_usersize, ctor);
+ kfree(cache_name);
+ if (WARN_ON(!(*b)[idx]))
+ goto fail;
+ }
+
+ return b;
+
+fail:
+ for (idx = 0; idx < ARRAY_SIZE(kmalloc_caches[KMALLOC_NORMAL]); idx++) {
+ if ((*b)[idx])
+ kmem_cache_destroy((*b)[idx]);
+ }
+ kfree(b);
+
+ return NULL;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(kmem_buckets_create);
+
#ifdef SLAB_SUPPORTS_SYSFS
/*
* For a given kmem_cache, kmem_cache_destroy() should only be called
@@ -933,6 +1001,10 @@ void __init create_kmalloc_caches(slab_flags_t flags)

/* Kmalloc array is now usable */
slab_state = UP;
+
+ kmem_buckets_cache = kmem_cache_create("kmalloc_buckets",
+ sizeof(kmem_buckets),
+ 0, 0, NULL);
}

/**
--
2.34.1