libbpf: Fix double-free of distilled base BTF on .BTF.ext parse error

When btf_parse_elf() is called without a caller-supplied base_btf (i.e.
via the public btf__parse_elf()) and the object file carries a .BTF.base
(distilled base) section, a dist_base_btf object is created and used as
the base of the split BTF built from the .BTF section.  Because base_btf
is NULL, the relocation block that would otherwise free and clear
dist_base_btf is skipped, and ownership of dist_base_btf is instead
transferred to the split btf by setting btf->owns_base = true.

That ownership transfer was performed before the fallible btf_ext__new()
call that parses the .BTF.ext section.  If .BTF.ext is malformed,
btf_ext__new() fails and the function jumps to the error path, which
frees dist_base_btf directly and then frees btf.  Since owns_base is
already set, btf__free(btf) also frees btf->base_btf, which is the same
dist_base_btf object.  The result is a use-after-free read followed by a
double free of the base BTF, driven entirely by a crafted object file
(a .BTF + .BTF.base + malformed .BTF.ext combination) passed to
btf__parse_elf(), as used by bpftool, pahole and similar tools.

Transfer ownership only after .BTF.ext has been parsed successfully, so
that any earlier failure leaves dist_base_btf owned solely by the local
cleanup path and it is freed exactly once.

Signed-off-by: Naveed Khan <naveed@digiscrypt.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/bpf/178345549172.94179.7948304165383170781@digiscrypt.com
This commit is contained in:
Naveed Khan
2026-07-08 01:48:11 +05:30
committed by Andrii Nakryiko
parent e821c22387
commit 77f02c9926

View File

@@ -1506,9 +1506,6 @@ static struct btf *btf_parse_elf(const char *path, struct btf *base_btf,
dist_base_btf = NULL;
}
if (dist_base_btf)
btf->owns_base = true;
switch (gelf_getclass(elf)) {
case ELFCLASS32:
btf__set_pointer_size(btf, 4);
@@ -1523,13 +1520,16 @@ static struct btf *btf_parse_elf(const char *path, struct btf *base_btf,
if (btf_ext && secs.btf_ext_data) {
*btf_ext = btf_ext__new(secs.btf_ext_data->d_buf, secs.btf_ext_data->d_size);
if (IS_ERR(*btf_ext)) {
err = PTR_ERR(*btf_ext);
if (!*btf_ext) {
err = -errno;
goto done;
}
} else if (btf_ext) {
*btf_ext = NULL;
}
if (dist_base_btf)
btf->owns_base = true;
done:
if (elf)
elf_end(elf);