[PATCH] ceph: fix OOB read and unbounded alloc in decode_watchers()

From: Pavitra Jha

Date: Thu May 21 2026 - 10:57:11 EST


ceph_start_decoding() validates that struct_len bytes remain in the
buffer after the encoding header, but accepts struct_len=0 as valid:
ceph_decode_need(p, end, 0, bad) always passes. When a malicious or
compromised OSD sends an obj_list_watch_response_t reply with
struct_len=0, ceph_start_decoding() returns success with p == end,
leaving zero bytes guaranteed for subsequent reads.

The immediately following ceph_decode_32(p) in decode_watchers() has
no preceding bounds check. With p == end this is a 4-byte read past
the validated buffer boundary. The garbage value is then passed
directly to kzalloc_objs() with no upper bound, allowing an OSD to
drive an allocation of up to ~4 GiB worth of struct ceph_watch_item
objects under GFP_NOIO pressure, or -- if adjacent slab bytes happen
to contain a small value -- a legitimately-sized allocation followed
by decode_watcher() writing attacker-controlled data into it.

The sibling function decode_watcher() already uses the safe variants
(ceph_decode_copy_safe, ceph_decode_64_safe, ceph_decode_skip_32)
after its own ceph_start_decoding() call. decode_watchers() is the
only site that uses the bare variant, confirming an oversight.

Fix by replacing ceph_decode_32(p) with ceph_decode_32_safe(p, end,
*num_watchers, e_inval), consistent with the established pattern.

KASAN report (kernel 7.0.0-rc7, QEMU/x86_64, KASLR disabled):

[ 72.047085] ceph_oob_poc: buf=ffff8880085936c8 end=ffff8880085936ce
[ 72.048685] ceph_oob_poc: ceph_start_decoding OK: struct_v=1
struct_len=0 p==end: 1
[ 72.049477] ceph_oob_poc: triggering OOB read past slab boundary...
[ 72.050699] ==================================================
[ 72.051427] BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in
ceph_oob_init+0x128/0xff0 [ceph_oob_poc]
[ 72.051427] Read of size 4 at addr ffff8880085936ce by task insmod/61
[ 72.051427] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 61 Comm: insmod Tainted: G O
[ 72.051427] 7.0.0-rc7-g9c2abf69da83-dirty #14 PREEMPT(lazy)
[ 72.051427] Call Trace:
[ 72.051427] dump_stack_lvl+0x4d/0x70
[ 72.051427] print_report+0x170/0x4f3
[ 72.051427] kasan_report+0xda/0x110
[ 72.051427] kasan_check_range+0x125/0x200
[ 72.051427] ceph_oob_init+0x128/0xff0 [ceph_oob_poc]
[ 72.051427] do_one_initcall+0x9a/0x310
[ 72.051427] do_init_module+0x186/0x410
[ 72.051427] load_module+0x2ba7/0x2e50
[ 72.051427] init_module_from_file+0x15c/0x180
[ 72.051427] idempotent_init_module+0x19f/0x430
[ 72.051427] __x64_sys_finit_module+0x78/0xc0
[ 72.051427] do_syscall_64+0xe2/0x570
[ 72.051427] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
[ 72.051427] The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff8880085936c8
[ 72.051427] which belongs to the cache kmalloc-8 of size 8
[ 72.051427] The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of
[ 72.051427] allocated 6-byte region [ffff8880085936c8, ffff8880085936ce)
[ 72.051427] Memory state around the buggy address:
[ 72.051427] >ffff888008593680: fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc 06 fc fc fc fc fc fc
[ 72.051427] ^
[ 72.051427] ==================================================
[ 72.129720] ceph_oob_poc: num_watchers=3435973836 (OOB garbage)

0xCCCCCCCC (3435973836) is KASAN redzone poison, confirming the read
landed in the slab redzone immediately past the 6-byte allocation.

Attacker model: a malicious or compromised OSD in a multi-tenant Ceph
deployment (e.g. cloud) can trigger this against any kernel client
that calls CEPH_OSD_OP_LIST_WATCHERS, without any further privileges
beyond OSD session establishment.

Fixes: a4ed38d7a180 ("libceph: support for CEPH_OSD_OP_LIST_WATCHERS")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Pavitra Jha <jhapavitra98@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/ceph/osd_client.c | 5 ++++-
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/net/ceph/osd_client.c b/net/ceph/osd_client.c
index 2ff00070c..0148e4c40 100644
--- a/net/ceph/osd_client.c
+++ b/net/ceph/osd_client.c
@@ -5030,7 +5030,7 @@ static int decode_watchers(void **p, void *end,
if (ret)
return ret;

- *num_watchers = ceph_decode_32(p);
+ ceph_decode_32_safe(p, end, *num_watchers, e_inval);
*watchers = kzalloc_objs(**watchers, *num_watchers, GFP_NOIO);
if (!*watchers)
return -ENOMEM;
@@ -5044,6 +5044,9 @@ static int decode_watchers(void **p, void *end,
}

return 0;
+
+e_inval:
+ return -EINVAL;
}

/*
--
2.53.0