[PATCH v3] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages

[PATCH v3] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages

[Joshua Hahn]

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.

Acked-by: SeongJae Park <sj@kernel.org>
Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>
Signed-off-by: Joshua Hahn <joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com>
---
v2 --> v3:
- Dropped the second patch. I may pursue it at another time : -)
- Variable renaming (dropping leading _) and cleaner check in
  mem_debugging_and_hardening_init, as suggested by Mike Rapoport
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                                    | 10 +++++++++-
 2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index 6c42061ca20e..acdc7fbdecac 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..fc2a6f1e518f 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;
+
+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
@@ -2534,7 +2542,7 @@ DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_MAYBE(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM, check_pages_enabled);
 static void __init mem_debugging_and_hardening_init(void)
 {
 	bool page_poisoning_requested = false;
-	bool want_check_pages = false;
+	bool want_check_pages = check_pages_enabled_early;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_PAGE_POISONING
 	/*
-- 
2.47.3

Re: [PATCH v3] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages

[Vlastimil Babka]

On 12/1/25 7:07 PM, 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.
> 
> Acked-by: SeongJae Park <sj@kernel.org>
> Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>
> Signed-off-by: Joshua Hahn <joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com>

Acked-by: Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@suse.cz>

Thanks!

> ---
> v2 --> v3:
> - Dropped the second patch. I may pursue it at another time : -)
> - Variable renaming (dropping leading _) and cleaner check in
>   mem_debugging_and_hardening_init, as suggested by Mike Rapoport
> 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                                    | 10 +++++++++-
>  2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
> index 6c42061ca20e..acdc7fbdecac 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..fc2a6f1e518f 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;
> +
> +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
> @@ -2534,7 +2542,7 @@ DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_MAYBE(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM, check_pages_enabled);
>  static void __init mem_debugging_and_hardening_init(void)
>  {
>  	bool page_poisoning_requested = false;
> -	bool want_check_pages = false;
> +	bool want_check_pages = check_pages_enabled_early;
>  
>  #ifdef CONFIG_PAGE_POISONING
>  	/*

Re: [PATCH v3] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages

[Mike Rapoport]

On Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:07:38 -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.
> 
> [...]

Applied to for-next branch of memblock.git tree, thanks!

[1/1] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages
      commit: a29b922955aa2bedde15876707532b982dec183c

tree: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/rppt/memblock
branch: for-next

--
Sincerely yours,
Mike.

Re: [PATCH v3] mm/mm_init: Introduce a boot parameter for check_pages

[Anshuman Khandual]

On 01/12/25 11:37 PM, 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.
> 
> Acked-by: SeongJae Park <sj@kernel.org>
> Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>
> Signed-off-by: Joshua Hahn <joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com>
> ---
> v2 --> v3:
> - Dropped the second patch. I may pursue it at another time : -)
> - Variable renaming (dropping leading _) and cleaner check in
>   mem_debugging_and_hardening_init, as suggested by Mike Rapoport
> 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                                    | 10 +++++++++-
>  2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
> index 6c42061ca20e..acdc7fbdecac 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..fc2a6f1e518f 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;
> +
> +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
> @@ -2534,7 +2542,7 @@ DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_MAYBE(CONFIG_DEBUG_VM, check_pages_enabled);
>  static void __init mem_debugging_and_hardening_init(void)
>  {
>  	bool page_poisoning_requested = false;
> -	bool want_check_pages = false;
> +	bool want_check_pages = check_pages_enabled_early;
>  
>  #ifdef CONFIG_PAGE_POISONING
>  	/*

LGTM.

Also a very nice write up for the commit message explaining
the new kernel parameter rationale comprehensively.

Reviewed-by: Anshuman Khandual <anshuman.khandual@arm.com>