__find_child(9)

💖 __find_child(9) — Kernel API Manual 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the __find_child page from the Kernel API Manual — this is the little gremlin function that goes digging through a list of AppArmor profiles looking for one whose name matches. she's giving "where's my bestie" energy and honestly? iconic. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

__find_child — find a profile on @head list with a name matching @name 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct aa_profile * __find_child (struct list_head *head , const char *name );

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✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• head — the list you're gonna search. NOT NULL, bestie, do not come in here with a null pointer, fr fr 🙈
• name — the name of the profile you're hunting for. also NOT NULL. no cap. 💅

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so here's the vibe check: this function requires that rcu_read_lock be held. like, that's the prerequisite. it's required, not a suggestion, not a cute optional accessory — keep that read lock held or the whole thing is a bad time. 🔥

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✨ RETURN ✨

she hands you back an unrefcounted profile ptr — or NULL if nothing was found. that's the whole deal. if it's NULL, the profile's just not there, don't take it personally 🫶

like literally — an unrefcounted pointer. keep that in mind, it's not doing the refcount math for you.

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

Kernel file ./security/apparmor/policy.c — and the whole extended friend group, because she does not exist in a vacuum, periodt:

• aa_pdb_free_kref(9)
• __add_profile(9)
• __list_remove_profile(9)
• __remove_profile(9)
• __aa_profile_list_release(9)
• aa_free_data(9)
• aa_free_profile(9)
• aa_alloc_profile(9)
• __strn_find_child(9)
• aa_find_child(9)
• __lookup_parent(9)
• __create_missing_ancestors(9)
• __lookupn_profile(9)
• aa_lookupn_profile(9)
• __aa_new_learning_profile(9)
• replacement_allowed(9)
• audit_policy(9)
• aa_policy_view_capable(9)
• aa_may_manage_policy(9)
• __replace_profile(9)
• __lookup_replace(9)
• aa_replace_profiles(9)
• aa_remove_profiles(9)

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and that's the whole page bestie!! 🌈⭐ this one ships out of ./security/apparmor and it's dated October 2026, so go forth, hold your rcu_read_lock, find your child, and slay 👑💜💫