Messages in this thread |  | | Date | Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:23:14 +0200 | | From | Mike Rapoport <> | | Subject | Re: [PATCH v2 1/2] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages |
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On Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at 02:54:06PM -0800, Joshua Hahn wrote: > Use-after-free and double-free bugs can be very difficult to track down. > The kernel is good at tracking these and preventing bad pages from being > used/created through simple checks gated behind "check_pages_enabled". > > Currently, the only ways to enable this flag is by building with > CONFIG_DEBUG_VM, or as a side effect of other checks such as > init_on_{alloc, free}, page_poisoning, or debug_pagealloc among others. > These solutions are powerful, but may often be too coarse in balancing > the performance vs. safety that a user may want, particularly in > latency-sensitive production environments. > > Introduce a new boot parameter "check_pages", which enables page checking > with no other side effects. It takes kstrbool-able inputs as an argument > (i.e. 0/1, true/false, on/off, ...). This patch is backwards-compatible; > setting CONFIG_DEBUG_VM still enables page checking. > > Signed-off-by: Joshua Hahn <joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com> > --- > v1 --> v2: > - Changed check_pages from a build config into a boot config, as suggested > by Vlastimil. > - Introduced the second patch, which decouples page checking from > init_on_page_alloc and init_on_page_free. > --- > > Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt | 8 ++++++++ > mm/mm_init.c | 11 ++++++++++- > 2 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) > > diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt > index 6c42061ca20e..0ba9561440a7 100644 > --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt > +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt > @@ -669,6 +669,14 @@ > nokmem -- Disable kernel memory accounting. > nobpf -- Disable BPF memory accounting. > > + check_pages= [MM,EARLY] Enable sanity checking of pages after > + allocations / before freeing. This adds checks to catch > + double-frees, use-after-frees, and other sources of > + page corruption by inspecting page internals (flags, > + mapcount/refcount, memcg_data, etc.). > + Format: { "0" | "1" } > + Default: 0 (1 if CONFIG_DEBUG_VM is set) > + > checkreqprot= [SELINUX] Set initial checkreqprot flag value. > Format: { "0" | "1" } > See security/selinux/Kconfig help text. > diff --git a/mm/mm_init.c b/mm/mm_init.c > index c6812b4dbb2e..01d46efc42b4 100644 > --- a/mm/mm_init.c > +++ b/mm/mm_init.c > @@ -2525,6 +2525,14 @@ early_param("init_on_free", early_init_on_free); > > DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_MAYBE(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM, check_pages_enabled); > > +static bool _check_pages_enabled_early __initdata;
No need in the leading underscore.
> + > +static int __init early_check_pages(char *buf) > +{ > + return kstrtobool(buf, &_check_pages_enabled_early); > +} > +early_param("check_pages", early_check_pages); > + > /* > * Enable static keys related to various memory debugging and hardening options. > * Some override others, and depend on early params that are evaluated in the > @@ -2591,7 +2599,8 @@ static void __init mem_debugging_and_hardening_init(void) > * of struct pages being allocated or freed. With CONFIG_DEBUG_VM it's > * enabled already. > */ > - if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM) && want_check_pages) > + if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM) && (_check_pages_enabled_early || > + want_check_pages))
You can initialize want_check_pages to check_pages_enabled_early, would be clearer IMO.
> static_branch_enable(&check_pages_enabled); > } > > -- > 2.47.3
-- Sincerely yours, Mike.
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