[PATCH] i3c: master: Fix device_register() error path
From: Adrian Hunter
Date: Thu Jul 02 2026 - 14:38:04 EST
When device_register() fails in i3c_master_register_new_i3c_devs(),
put_device() is called to drop the reference taken by
device_register(). That drops the last reference, so the device's
release callback i3c_device_release() runs and frees the i3c_device.
Two problems follow from that:
i3c_device_release() does WARN_ON(i3cdev->desc), so it warns because
desc->dev->desc still points back at the descriptor. Clear it before
calling put_device().
After put_device() frees the i3c_device, desc->dev is left pointing at
freed memory, so clear desc->dev as well. That prevents, for example,
i3c_master_unregister_i3c_devs() seeing desc->dev as non-NULL and
dereferencing it.
Reported-by: sashiko-bot@xxxxxxxxxx
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-i3c/20260701203053.8F3971F000E9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
Fixes: cab63f6488761 ("i3c: Fix potential refcount leak in i3c_master_register_new_i3c_devs")
Signed-off-by: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@xxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/i3c/master.c | 2 ++
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
diff --git a/drivers/i3c/master.c b/drivers/i3c/master.c
index 979457e635bd..7254b13fe4f0 100644
--- a/drivers/i3c/master.c
+++ b/drivers/i3c/master.c
@@ -1942,7 +1942,9 @@ i3c_master_register_new_i3c_devs(struct i3c_master_controller *master)
if (ret) {
dev_err(&master->dev,
"Failed to add I3C device (err = %d)\n", ret);
+ desc->dev->desc = NULL;
put_device(&desc->dev->dev);
+ desc->dev = NULL;
}
}
}
--
2.53.0