[PATCH] selftests/memfd: use IPC semaphore instead of SIGSTOP/SIGCONT

[PATCH] selftests/memfd: use IPC semaphore instead of SIGSTOP/SIGCONT

[Aristeu Rozanski]

selftests/memfd: use IPC semaphore instead of SIGSTOP/SIGCONT

In order to synchronize new processes to test inheritance of
memfd_noexec sysctl, memfd_test sets up the sysctl with a value before
creating the new process. The new process then sends itself a SIGSTOP
in order to wait for the parent to flip the sysctl value and send a
SIGCONT signal.

This would work as intended if it wasn't the fact that the new process
is being created with CLONE_NEWPID, which creates a new PID namespace and
the new process has PID 1 in this namespace. There're restrictions on
sending signals to PID 1 and, although it's relaxed for other than root
PID namespace, it's biting us here. In this specific case the SIGSTOP sent
by the new process is ignored (no error to kill() is returned) and it never
stops its execution. This is usually not noticiable as the parent usually
manages to set the new sysctl value before the child has a chance to run
and the test succeeds. But if you run the test in a loop, it eventually
reproduces:

	while [ 1 ]; do ./memfd_test >log 2>&1 || break; done; cat log

So this patch replaces the SIGSTOP/SIGCONT synchronization with IPC
semaphore.

Fixes: 6469b66e3f5a3 (selftests: improve vm.memfd_noexec sysctl tests, 2023-08-14)
Cc: Aleksa Sarai <cyphar@cyphar.com>
Cc: Shuah Khan <shuah@kernel.org>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: liuye <liuye@kylinos.cn>
Cc: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>
Cc: linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-mm@kvack.org
Signed-off-by: Aristeu Rozanski <aris@redhat.com>
---
 tools/testing/selftests/memfd/memfd_test.c |  113 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
 1 file changed, 105 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

--- linus-2.6.orig/tools/testing/selftests/memfd/memfd_test.c	2026-01-29 16:22:56.094182500 -0500
+++ linus-2.6/tools/testing/selftests/memfd/memfd_test.c	2026-02-02 09:35:04.887782294 -0500
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/syscall.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/ipc.h>
+#include <sys/sem.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 
@@ -39,6 +42,20 @@ #define F_SEAL_EXEC	0x0020
 		    F_SEAL_EXEC)
 
 #define MFD_NOEXEC_SEAL	0x0008U
+union semun {
+	int val;
+	struct semid_ds *buf;
+	unsigned short int *array;
+	struct seminfo *__buf;
+};
+
+/*
+ * we use semaphores on nested wait tasks due the use of CLONE_NEWPID: the
+ * child will be PID 1 and can't send SIGSTOP to themselves due special
+ * treatment of the init task, so the SIGSTOP/SIGCONT synchronization
+ * approach can't be used here.
+ */
+#define SEM_KEY 0xdeadbeef
 
 /*
  * Default is not to test hugetlbfs
@@ -1333,8 +1350,22 @@ return 0;
 
 static int sysctl_nested_wait(void *arg)
 {
-	/* Wait for a SIGCONT. */
-	kill(getpid(), SIGSTOP);
+	int sem = semget(SEM_KEY, 1, 0600);
+	struct sembuf sembuf;
+
+	if (sem < 0) {
+		perror("semget:");
+		abort();
+	}
+	sembuf.sem_num = 0;
+	sembuf.sem_flg = 0;
+	sembuf.sem_op = 0;
+
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		abort();
+	}
+
 	return sysctl_nested(arg);
 }
 
@@ -1355,7 +1386,9 @@ sysctl_fail_write("0");
 
 static int sysctl_nested_child(void *arg)
 {
-	int pid;
+	int pid, sem;
+	union semun semun;
+	struct sembuf sembuf;
 
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 0\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("0");
@@ -1389,23 +1422,53 @@ sysctl_assert_write("0");
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl2_failset);
 	join_thread(pid);
 
+	sem = semget(SEM_KEY, 1, IPC_CREAT | 0600);
+	if (sem < 0) {
+		perror("semget:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+	semun.val = 1;
+	sembuf.sem_op = -1;
+	sembuf.sem_flg = 0;
+	sembuf.sem_num = 0;
+
 	/* Verify that the rules are actually inherited after fork. */
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 0 -> 1 after fork\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("0");
 
+	if (semctl(sem, 0, SETVAL, semun) < 0) {
+		perror("semctl:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	pid = spawn_thread(CLONE_NEWPID, sysctl_nested_wait,
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl1_failset);
 	sysctl_assert_write("1");
-	kill(pid, SIGCONT);
+
+	/* Allow child to continue */
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	join_thread(pid);
 
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 0 -> 2 after fork\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("0");
 
+	if (semctl(sem, 0, SETVAL, semun) < 0) {
+		perror("semctl:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	pid = spawn_thread(CLONE_NEWPID, sysctl_nested_wait,
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl2_failset);
 	sysctl_assert_write("2");
-	kill(pid, SIGCONT);
+
+	/* Allow child to continue */
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	join_thread(pid);
 
 	/*
@@ -1415,28 +1478,62 @@ sysctl_assert_write("0");
 	 */
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 2 -> 1 after fork\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("2");
+
+	if (semctl(sem, 0, SETVAL, semun) < 0) {
+		perror("semctl:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	pid = spawn_thread(CLONE_NEWPID, sysctl_nested_wait,
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl2);
 	sysctl_assert_write("1");
-	kill(pid, SIGCONT);
+
+	/* Allow child to continue */
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	join_thread(pid);
 
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 2 -> 0 after fork\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("2");
+
+	if (semctl(sem, 0, SETVAL, semun) < 0) {
+		perror("semctl:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	pid = spawn_thread(CLONE_NEWPID, sysctl_nested_wait,
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl2);
 	sysctl_assert_write("0");
-	kill(pid, SIGCONT);
+
+	/* Allow child to continue */
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	join_thread(pid);
 
 	printf("%s nested sysctl 1 -> 0 after fork\n", memfd_str);
 	sysctl_assert_write("1");
+
+	if (semctl(sem, 0, SETVAL, semun) < 0) {
+		perror("semctl:");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	pid = spawn_thread(CLONE_NEWPID, sysctl_nested_wait,
 			   test_sysctl_sysctl1);
 	sysctl_assert_write("0");
-	kill(pid, SIGCONT);
+	/* Allow child to continue */
+	if (semop(sem, &sembuf, 1) < 0) {
+		perror("semop:");
+		return 1;
+	}
 	join_thread(pid);
 
+	semctl(sem, 0, IPC_RMID);
+
 	return 0;
 }