[PATCH v4] sched/psi: fix race between file release and pressure write
From: Edward Adam Davis
Date: Sun Apr 12 2026 - 22:45:45 EST
A potential race condition exists between pressure write and cgroup file
release regarding the priv member of struct kernfs_open_file, which
triggers the uaf reported in [1].
Consider the following scenario involving execution on two separate CPUs:
CPU0 CPU1
==== ====
vfs_rmdir()
kernfs_iop_rmdir()
cgroup_rmdir()
cgroup_kn_lock_live()
cgroup_destroy_locked()
cgroup_addrm_files()
cgroup_rm_file()
kernfs_remove_by_name()
kernfs_remove_by_name_ns()
vfs_write() __kernfs_remove()
new_sync_write() kernfs_drain()
kernfs_fop_write_iter() kernfs_drain_open_files()
cgroup_file_write() kernfs_release_file()
pressure_write() cgroup_file_release()
ctx = of->priv;
kfree(ctx);
of->priv = NULL;
cgroup_kn_unlock()
cgroup_kn_lock_live()
cgroup_get(cgrp)
cgroup_kn_unlock()
if (ctx->psi.trigger) // here, trigger uaf for ctx, that is of->priv
The cgroup_rmdir() is protected by the cgroup_mutex, it also safeguards
the memory deallocation of of->priv performed within cgroup_file_release().
However, the operations involving of->priv executed within pressure_write()
are not entirely covered by the protection of cgroup_mutex. Consequently,
if the code in pressure_write(), specifically the section handling the
ctx variable executes after cgroup_file_release() has completed, a uaf
vulnerability involving of->priv is triggered.
Therefore, the issue can be resolved by extending the scope of the
cgroup_mutex lock within pressure_write() to encompass all code paths
involving of->priv, thereby properly synchronizing the race condition
occurring between cgroup_file_release() and pressure_write().
And, if an active kn lock can be successfully acquired while executing
the pressure write operation, it indicates that the cgroup deletion
process has not yet reached its final stage; consequently, the priv
pointer within open_file cannot be NULL. Therefore, the operation to
retrieve the ctx value must be moved to a point *after* the active kn
lock has been successfully acquired.
Now that the scope of the cgroup_mutex has been expanded, the original
explicit cgroup_get/put operations are no longer necessary, this is
because acquiring/releasing the live kn lock inherently executes a
cgroup get/put operation.
[1]
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in pressure_write+0xa4/0x210 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4011
Call Trace:
pressure_write+0xa4/0x210 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4011
cgroup_file_write+0x36f/0x790 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4311
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x3b0/0x540 fs/kernfs/file.c:352
Allocated by task 9352:
cgroup_file_open+0x90/0x3a0 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4256
kernfs_fop_open+0x9eb/0xcb0 fs/kernfs/file.c:724
do_dentry_open+0x83d/0x13e0 fs/open.c:949
Freed by task 9353:
cgroup_file_release+0xd6/0x100 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4283
kernfs_release_file fs/kernfs/file.c:764 [inline]
kernfs_drain_open_files+0x392/0x720 fs/kernfs/file.c:834
kernfs_drain+0x470/0x600 fs/kernfs/dir.c:525
Fixes: 0e94682b73bf ("psi: introduce psi monitor")
Reported-by: syzbot+33e571025d88efd1312c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=33e571025d88efd1312c
Tested-by: syzbot+33e571025d88efd1312c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Edward Adam Davis <eadavis@xxxxxx>
---
v1 -> v2: refactor unlock and update comments
v2 -> v3: remove check for !ctx and update comments
v3 -> v4: remove orig get/put for get cgroup refcnt and update comments
kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c | 21 +++++++++++++--------
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
diff --git a/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c b/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
index 4ca3cb993da2..c94a16352c33 100644
--- a/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
+++ b/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
@@ -3995,33 +3995,38 @@ static int cgroup_cpu_pressure_show(struct seq_file *seq, void *v)
static ssize_t pressure_write(struct kernfs_open_file *of, char *buf,
size_t nbytes, enum psi_res res)
{
- struct cgroup_file_ctx *ctx = of->priv;
+ struct cgroup_file_ctx *ctx;
struct psi_trigger *new;
struct cgroup *cgrp;
struct psi_group *psi;
+ ssize_t ret = 0;
cgrp = cgroup_kn_lock_live(of->kn, false);
if (!cgrp)
return -ENODEV;
- cgroup_get(cgrp);
- cgroup_kn_unlock(of->kn);
+ /* of->priv can not be NULL, because cgroup is CSS_ONLINE */
+ ctx = of->priv;
/* Allow only one trigger per file descriptor */
if (ctx->psi.trigger) {
- cgroup_put(cgrp);
- return -EBUSY;
+ ret = -EBUSY;
+ goto out_unlock;
}
psi = cgroup_psi(cgrp);
new = psi_trigger_create(psi, buf, res, of->file, of);
if (IS_ERR(new)) {
- cgroup_put(cgrp);
- return PTR_ERR(new);
+ ret = PTR_ERR(new);
+ goto out_unlock;
}
smp_store_release(&ctx->psi.trigger, new);
- cgroup_put(cgrp);
+
+out_unlock:
+ cgroup_kn_unlock(of->kn);
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
return nbytes;
}
--
2.43.0