[PATCH] ALSA: aloop: Fix peer runtime UAF during format-change stop

From: Cássio Gabriel

Date: Wed Apr 22 2026 - 23:22:39 EST


loopback_check_format() may stop the capture side when playback starts
with parameters that no longer match a running capture stream. Commit
826af7fa62e3 ("ALSA: aloop: Fix racy access at PCM trigger") moved
the peer lookup under cable->lock, but the actual snd_pcm_stop() still
runs after dropping that lock.

A concurrent close can clear the capture entry from cable->streams[] and
detach or free its runtime while the playback trigger path still holds a
stale peer substream pointer.

Keep a per-cable count of in-flight peer stops before dropping
cable->lock, make free_cable() wait for those stops before detaching the
runtime, and take the peer stream lock around snd_pcm_stop(). This
preserves the existing behavior while making the peer runtime lifetime
explicit.

Reported-by: syzbot+8fa95c41eafbc9d2ff6f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=8fa95c41eafbc9d2ff6f
Fixes: 597603d615d2 ("ALSA: introduce the snd-aloop module for the PCM loopback")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Cássio Gabriel <cassiogabrielcontato@xxxxxxxxx>
---
sound/drivers/aloop.c | 56 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------
1 file changed, 40 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/sound/drivers/aloop.c b/sound/drivers/aloop.c
index aa0d2fcb1a18..a997ee262740 100644
--- a/sound/drivers/aloop.c
+++ b/sound/drivers/aloop.c
@@ -99,6 +99,9 @@ struct loopback_ops {
struct loopback_cable {
spinlock_t lock;
struct loopback_pcm *streams[2];
+ /* in-flight peer stops running outside cable->lock */
+ atomic_t stop_count;
+ wait_queue_head_t stop_wait;
struct snd_pcm_hardware hw;
/* flags */
unsigned int valid;
@@ -337,10 +340,10 @@ static bool is_access_interleaved(snd_pcm_access_t access)
static int loopback_check_format(struct loopback_cable *cable, int stream)
{
struct loopback_pcm *dpcm_play, *dpcm_capt;
+ struct loopback_pcm *stop_dpcm = NULL;
struct snd_pcm_runtime *runtime, *cruntime;
struct loopback_setup *setup;
struct snd_card *card;
- bool stop_capture = false;
int check;

scoped_guard(spinlock_irqsave, &cable->lock) {
@@ -366,8 +369,11 @@ static int loopback_check_format(struct loopback_cable *cable, int stream)
return 0;
if (stream == SNDRV_PCM_STREAM_CAPTURE)
return -EIO;
- else if (cruntime->state == SNDRV_PCM_STATE_RUNNING)
- stop_capture = true;
+ else if (cruntime->state == SNDRV_PCM_STATE_RUNNING) {
+ /* close must not free the peer runtime below */
+ atomic_inc(&cable->stop_count);
+ stop_dpcm = dpcm_capt;
+ }
}

setup = get_setup(dpcm_play);
@@ -396,8 +402,18 @@ static int loopback_check_format(struct loopback_cable *cable, int stream)
}
}

- if (stop_capture)
- snd_pcm_stop(dpcm_capt->substream, SNDRV_PCM_STATE_DRAINING);
+ if (stop_dpcm) {
+ struct snd_pcm_substream *stop_substream = stop_dpcm->substream;
+ unsigned long flags;
+
+ snd_pcm_stream_lock_irqsave_nested(stop_substream, flags);
+ if (stop_substream->runtime && snd_pcm_running(stop_substream))
+ snd_pcm_stop(stop_substream, SNDRV_PCM_STATE_DRAINING);
+ snd_pcm_stream_unlock_irqrestore(stop_substream, flags);
+
+ if (atomic_dec_and_test(&cable->stop_count))
+ wake_up(&cable->stop_wait);
+ }

return 0;
}
@@ -1049,23 +1065,29 @@ static void free_cable(struct snd_pcm_substream *substream)
struct loopback *loopback = substream->private_data;
int dev = get_cable_index(substream);
struct loopback_cable *cable;
+ struct loopback_pcm *dpcm;
+ bool other_alive;

cable = loopback->cables[substream->number][dev];
if (!cable)
return;
- if (cable->streams[!substream->stream]) {
- /* other stream is still alive */
- guard(spinlock_irq)(&cable->lock);
- cable->streams[substream->stream] = NULL;
- } else {
- struct loopback_pcm *dpcm = substream->runtime->private_data;

- if (cable->ops && cable->ops->close_cable && dpcm)
- cable->ops->close_cable(dpcm);
- /* free the cable */
- loopback->cables[substream->number][dev] = NULL;
- kfree(cable);
+ scoped_guard(spinlock_irq, &cable->lock) {
+ cable->streams[substream->stream] = NULL;
+ other_alive = cable->streams[!substream->stream];
}
+
+ /* Pair with the stop_count increment in loopback_check_format(). */
+ wait_event(cable->stop_wait, !atomic_read(&cable->stop_count));
+ if (other_alive)
+ return;
+
+ dpcm = substream->runtime->private_data;
+ if (cable->ops && cable->ops->close_cable && dpcm)
+ cable->ops->close_cable(dpcm);
+ /* free the cable */
+ loopback->cables[substream->number][dev] = NULL;
+ kfree(cable);
}

static int loopback_jiffies_timer_open(struct loopback_pcm *dpcm)
@@ -1260,6 +1282,8 @@ static int loopback_open(struct snd_pcm_substream *substream)
goto unlock;
}
spin_lock_init(&cable->lock);
+ atomic_set(&cable->stop_count, 0);
+ init_waitqueue_head(&cable->stop_wait);
cable->hw = loopback_pcm_hardware;
if (loopback->timer_source)
cable->ops = &loopback_snd_timer_ops;

---
base-commit: 03ef04a70af3ddfa925d78015713fdb4a15e4e88
change-id: 20260422-alsa-aloop-peer-stop-uaf-004de2120b52

Best regards,
--
Cássio Gabriel <cassiogabrielcontato@xxxxxxxxx>