[PATCH net-next] net: dev_addr_lists: don't WARN on GFP_ATOMIC kmalloc failure in netif_rx_mode_run
From: Zijing Yin
Date: Tue May 19 2026 - 05:56:46 EST
netif_rx_mode_run() fires netdev_WARN() when netif_addr_lists_snapshot()
returns non-zero. The only path to a non-zero return is -ENOMEM from
__hw_addr_create() failing its kmalloc(GFP_ATOMIC) -- syzkaller hits it
via failslab, and it can also be reached under real memory pressure.
This is the only allocator-failure site in this file that WARNs.
__hw_addr_create() itself, and every other caller of it in this file
(__hw_addr_add_ex(), dev_uc_add_excl(), dev_uc_add(), dev_mc_add(), ...)
just propagate the -ENOMEM silently. GFP_ATOMIC is a may-fail allocator;
callers are required to handle NULL, so a returned -ENOMEM here is an
expected runtime condition, not an invariant violation.
The miss is self-healing: any subsequent change to dev->uc / dev->mc
(every dev_{uc,mc}_{add,del}, IFF_PROMISC flip, etc.) calls
__dev_set_rx_mode() -> netif_rx_mode_queue(), which re-queues the device
and retries the sync. The only cost of a failed attempt is one stale
rx-mode window until the next update; nothing in the kernel relies on
this attempt succeeding.
Demote to net_err_ratelimited() so the condition stays observable in
dmesg without tripping panic_on_warn.
Reproducer (syzkaller .prog format with setup notes):
https://pastebin.com/t7AQKx9v
Fixes: 3554b4345d85 ("net: introduce ndo_set_rx_mode_async and netdev_rx_mode_work")
Signed-off-by: Zijing Yin <yzjaurora@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/core/dev_addr_lists.c | 3 ++-
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/net/core/dev_addr_lists.c b/net/core/dev_addr_lists.c
index d73fcb0c6..c6fdcac74 100644
--- a/net/core/dev_addr_lists.c
+++ b/net/core/dev_addr_lists.c
@@ -1275,7 +1275,8 @@ static void netif_rx_mode_run(struct net_device *dev)
err = netif_addr_lists_snapshot(dev, &uc_snap, &mc_snap,
&uc_ref, &mc_ref);
if (err) {
- netdev_WARN(dev, "failed to sync uc/mc addresses\n");
+ net_err_ratelimited("%s: failed to sync uc/mc addresses\n",
+ netdev_name(dev));
netif_addr_unlock_bh(dev);
return;
}
--
2.43.0