[PATCH net v5] serial: caif: hold tty->link reference in ldisc_open and ser_release

From: Shuangpeng Bai

Date: Thu Mar 05 2026 - 22:40:26 EST


A reproducer triggers a KASAN slab-use-after-free in pty_write_room()
when caif_serial's TX path calls tty_write_room(). The faulting access
is on tty->link->port.

Hold an extra kref on tty->link for the lifetime of the caif_serial line
discipline: get it in ldisc_open() and drop it in ser_release(), and
also drop it on the ldisc_open() error path.

With this change applied, the reproducer no longer triggers the UAF in
my testing.

Link: https://gist.github.com/shuangpengbai/c898debad6bdf170a84be7e6b3d8707f
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20260301220525.1546355-1-shuangpeng.kernel@xxxxxxxxx
Fixes: e31d5a05948e ("caif: tty's are kref objects so take a reference")
Signed-off-by: Shuangpeng Bai <shuangpeng.kernel@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes since v4:
- Fixes: reference e31d5a05948e ("caif: tty's are kref objects so take a reference")

drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c | 3 +++
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c b/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
index b90890030751..1873d8287bb9 100644
--- a/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
+++ b/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
@@ -297,6 +297,7 @@ static void ser_release(struct work_struct *work)
dev_close(ser->dev);
unregister_netdevice(ser->dev);
debugfs_deinit(ser);
+ tty_kref_put(tty->link);
tty_kref_put(tty);
}
rtnl_unlock();
@@ -331,6 +332,7 @@ static int ldisc_open(struct tty_struct *tty)

ser = netdev_priv(dev);
ser->tty = tty_kref_get(tty);
+ tty_kref_get(tty->link);
ser->dev = dev;
debugfs_init(ser, tty);
tty->receive_room = 4096;
@@ -339,6 +341,7 @@ static int ldisc_open(struct tty_struct *tty)
rtnl_lock();
result = register_netdevice(dev);
if (result) {
+ tty_kref_put(tty->link);
tty_kref_put(tty);
rtnl_unlock();
free_netdev(dev);
--
2.34.1