CyberRota Analysis
AI-GeneratedThe vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's ring buffer implementation, specifically when the RB_FORCE_8BYTE_ALIGNMENT option is enabled, leading to incorrect event length calculations for small events. This can result in data length discrepancies, potentially causing issues in data processing and logging on affected systems. Organizations using Linux kernels with this configuration, particularly those on riscv64 architectures, should prioritize applying the fix to ensure data integrity and prevent potential operational disruptions.
Original NVD Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ring-buffer: Fix event length with forced 8-byte alignment When RB_FORCE_8BYTE_ALIGNMENT is true, rb_calculate_event_length() reserves the space of event->array[0] for placing the data length and rb_update_event() stores the data length in event->array[0] accordingly. As a result the whole event length will add extra 4 bytes for sizeof(event.array[0]) unconditionally. But ring_buffer_event_length() only subtracts the sizeof(event->array[0]) for events larger than RB_MAX_SMALL_DATA + sizeof(event->array[0]). As a result, small events on architectures with RB_FORCE_8BYTE_ALIGNMENT=true report a data length that is 4 bytes larger than expected. To fix it, add the RB_FORCE_8BYTE_ALIGNMENT as a condition to subtract the size of that length field whenever RB_FORCE_8BYTE_ALIGNMENT is true. This issue is observed in a riscv64 kernel with CONFIG_HAVE_64BIT_ALIGNED_ACCESS set to y, when we run ftrace selftest trace_marker_raw.tc, we get the weird log: for cases where the id is 1..100, the number of data field is 8*N, but once id exceeds 100, the number of data field becomes 8*N+4: # 1 buf: 58 00 00 00 80 5e d1 63 (number of data field is 8*1) ... # a buf: 58 ... (number of data field is 8*2) ... # 64 buf: 58 ... (number of data field is 8*13) # 65 buf: 58 ... (number of data field is 8*13+4) After applying this change, the number of data field keeps being 8*N+4 consistently.