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authorsrdusr <[email protected]>2026-05-29 22:56:00 +0200
committersrdusr <[email protected]>2026-05-29 22:56:00 +0200
commit719b7f439c1c8c76d0573b34daa329061c9ad8a6 (patch)
treed6a1ad5546332859a717bdadbfd72ff4041e18f3 /PLAN.md
parente41dade9ac3bbd7ffbc1eec826801af1a38d8b9e (diff)
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Fix IPv4/IPv6 fragment continuation data being decoded as fake transport headers
A real correctness bug, not just missing visibility: a non-first fragment's payload is pure continuation data with no TCP/UDP/ICMP header in it at all, but it was being handed to the transport parsers unconditionally, which could misread arbitrary payload bytes as port numbers, sequence numbers, etc. and print a plausible-looking but entirely fake decode. IPv4 gained identification/more_fragments/fragment_offset fields; a nonzero offset now stops summarize_packet before transport dispatch, reporting the fragment instead. IPv6 expresses fragmentation as an extension header instead, so the fix lives in walk_ipv6_extension_headers(): it already walked past Fragment headers, but never checked the offset before continuing on as if a transport header followed - the same bug, reached through a different path. Fixed with an ESP-style hard stop on a nonzero offset. Caught and fixed a second bug while writing the first fix, before it ever ran: the fragment's Identification field was a loop-local variable, discarded the moment the walk continued past a *first* fragment (offset zero) to keep decoding the real payload underneath -- every later return reported no fragment id even though one applied. Fixed by hoisting it to a variable that persists across iterations, the same category of mistake as an earlier IGMPv3 bug. Fuzzed afterward regardless (fuzz_ipv4, fuzz_ipv6, fuzz_summarize, ~16.8M combined runs) - clean. Live-verified with a real 4000-byte ping to the local gateway over the actual 1500-MTU interface: both directions fragmented into 3 pieces each, the first decoded normally with a fragmentation note, and the continuation fragments correctly showed only fragment metadata, no fake ICMP decode attempted.
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@@ -685,3 +685,45 @@ None currently open.
real intermediate routers - this machine's own gateway, then real
ISP infrastructure several hops out - all correctly showing "[this
machine -> 8.8.8.8 proto=1]", matching traceroute's own hop output.
+- IPv4/IPv6 fragmentation: a real correctness fix, not just added
+ visibility. Before this, a non-first fragment's payload - pure
+ continuation data, no TCP/UDP/ICMP header present at all - was
+ handed to the transport parsers unconditionally, which could
+ misread arbitrary payload bytes as port numbers, sequence numbers,
+ etc. and print a plausible-looking but entirely fake decode. IPv4
+ gained identification/more_fragments/fragment_offset fields on
+ Ipv4Header; a nonzero fragment_offset now stops summarize_packet
+ before it ever reaches transport dispatch, reporting the fragment
+ itself instead. IPv6 expresses fragmentation as a Fragment
+ extension header instead of header fields, so the fix lives in
+ walk_ipv6_extension_headers(): it already walked past Fragment
+ headers, but never checked the offset before continuing on to
+ decode whatever followed as if it were a transport header --
+ exactly the same bug, just reached through the extension-header
+ path instead of a header field. Fixed by having the walk stop
+ immediately (like the existing ESP hard-stop) whenever the offset is
+ nonzero, and reporting that stop via two new
+ Ipv6ExtensionWalkResult fields.
+ Caught and fixed a real bug in this fix while writing it, before it
+ ever ran: the first version computed a fragment's Identification
+ field as a loop-local variable, so it was silently discarded the
+ moment the walk continued past a *first* fragment's header (offset
+ zero) to keep decoding the real transport protocol underneath --
+ every return path after that point reported no fragment id at all,
+ even though one genuinely applied. Fixed by hoisting it to a
+ variable that persists across loop iterations, the same category of
+ mistake (and the same fix) as this session's earlier IGMPv3 bug:
+ state that needs to survive past the specific branch that computed
+ it. Fuzzed afterward regardless (fuzz_ipv4, fuzz_ipv6,
+ fuzz_summarize, ~16.8M combined runs) - clean, no crashes.
+ Live-verified with genuine IPv4 fragmentation: a 4000-byte ping to
+ the real local gateway over the actual 1500-MTU wlp1s0 interface,
+ captured on the wire. Both directions fragmented into exactly 3
+ pieces each; the first fragment decoded normally (ICMP Echo
+ Request/Reply, correct id/seq) with a "(fragmented, ...)" note, and
+ the two continuation fragments correctly showed only fragment
+ metadata - no fake ICMP decode attempted on their payload. IPv6
+ fragmentation is unit-tested (including the exact byte pattern that
+ triggered the fragment-id bug above) but not live-verified: this
+ machine has no real global IPv6 connectivity to generate genuine
+ IPv6-fragmented traffic against, only link-local addresses.