[PATCH] io_uring/net: clear stale vec on buffer peek error after expansion
From: Feng Xue
Date: Wed Jul 08 2026 - 02:10:55 EST
Subject: [PATCH] io_uring/net: clear stale vec on buffer peek error after expansion
When io_ring_buffers_peek() expands the iovec array during a bundle
recv retry, it frees the old array (A) and allocates a new one (B).
If access_ok() then fails, B is also freed and -EFAULT is returned.
The callers io_recv_buf_select() and io_send_select_buffer() only
update kmsg->vec.iovec on success, so on this error path vec.iovec
still points to freed A. The stale pointer survives into the netmsg
alloc cache via io_netmsg_recycle() (vec.nr < IO_VEC_CACHE_SOFT_CAP
so io_vec_free is not called). A subsequent bundle operation reuses
the cached hdr, sees vec.iovec non-NULL, sets REQ_F_NEED_CLEANUP,
and passes the dangling pointer back to io_ring_buffers_peek() ―
which writes iovec entries to freed memory (use-after-free).
If the alloc cache is full, the alternative cleanup path through
io_clean_op() → io_vec_free() kfree()s the already-freed A
(double-free).
Fix this by NULLing vec.iovec and zeroing vec.nr on the error path
when expansion occurred (detected by arg.iovs != kmsg->vec.iovec).
Do not call io_vec_free() here ― A is already freed by the expansion
block, so kfree()ing it again would itself be a double-free.
Apply the same fix to io_send_select_buffer() which has the identical
update-after-success pattern.
Signed-off-by: Feng Xue <feng.xue@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Assisted by: XGPT
---
io_uring/net.c | 16 ++++++++++++++--
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/io_uring/net.c b/io_uring/net.c
index XXXXXXX..XXXXXXX 100644
--- a/io_uring/net.c
+++ b/io_uring/net.c
@@ -631,8 +631,15 @@ static int io_send_select_buffer(struct io_kiocb *req, unsigned int issue_flags,
ret = io_buffers_select(req, &arg, sel, issue_flags);
- if (unlikely(ret < 0))
+ if (unlikely(ret < 0)) {
+ /*
+ * Buffer selection may have freed the old iovec during
+ * expansion. Clear vec to prevent stale-pointer reuse.
+ */
+ if (kmsg->vec.iovec && arg.iovs != kmsg->vec.iovec) {
+ kmsg->vec.iovec = NULL;
+ kmsg->vec.nr = 0;
+ }
return ret;
+ }
if (arg.iovs != &kmsg->fast_iov && arg.iovs != kmsg->vec.iovec) {
@@ -1174,8 +1181,15 @@ static int io_recv_buf_select(struct io_kiocb *req,
ret = io_buffers_peek(req, &arg, sel);
- if (unlikely(ret < 0))
+ if (unlikely(ret < 0)) {
+ /*
+ * Peek may have freed the old iovec during expansion.
+ * Clear vec to prevent stale-pointer reuse or
+ * double-free via io_vec_free on the cleanup path.
+ */
+ if (kmsg->vec.iovec && arg.iovs != kmsg->vec.iovec) {
+ kmsg->vec.iovec = NULL;
+ kmsg->vec.nr = 0;
+ }
return ret;
+ }
if (arg.iovs != &kmsg->fast_iov && arg.iovs != kmsg->vec.iovec) {