kvfree_sensitive(9)

🎀 NAME 🎀

kvfree_sensitive (section 9) — free a data object containing sensitive information. okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual page for the “please actually clear the sensitive stuff” free-er. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void kvfree_sensitive (const void *addr , size_t len );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• addr — address of the data object to be freed. that’s the thing you’re releasing, bestie. 🫶
• len — length of the data object. how many bytes, literally.

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here’s the vibe: this uses the special memzero_explicit function to clear the content of a kvmalloc'ed object containing sensitive data. the whole point is to make sure that the compiler won’t optimize out the data clearing. no cap, that’s the important bit — the wipe has to survive the compiler’s whole “I’m helping” era. 😭🔥

sensitive data is giving main character energy — this is the special clear, not just a casual free. 💖

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the kernel besties in this group chat: Kernel file ./mm/slub.c enum slab_flags(9), kmem_cache_alloc_node(9), kmem_cache_free(9), ksize(9), kfree(9), kvfree(9), kvfree_atomic(9), kmem_cache_alloc_bulk(9). 🌈

mwah 💋 this little page lives in ./mm and is stamped October 2026 — periodt. 🎀✨