[PATCH] net: mctp: hold a reference to the route device in mctp_route_lookup()
From: Aldo Ariel Panzardo
Date: Wed Aug 12 2026 - 22:26:40 EST
mctp_route_lookup() uses rt->dev without holding a reference on it.
mctp_route_lookup_single() returns the route under RCU only, so the
route's device can be torn down concurrently: mctp_dev_put() drops the
last reference and synchronously kfree()s mdev->addrs. mctp_dev_saddr()
then reads rt->dev->addrs[0], giving a use-after-free reachable by an
unprivileged local AF_MCTP user on the receive/forwarding path (no
CAP_NET_RAW required):
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mctp_route_lookup
Read of size 1 at addr ... by task mctp_uaf/...
mctp_route_lookup
mctp_pkttype_receive
Freed by task ...:
kfree
mctp_dev_put
mctp_dev_notify
In the same window mctp_dst_from_route() -> mctp_dev_hold() also
increments a refcount that has already reached zero
("refcount_t: addition on 0 ... mctp_dev_hold").
This reintroduces the use-after-free class of CVE-2023-3439: the source
address lookup was moved ahead of the point where the destination takes
its device reference.
Take a reference with refcount_inc_not_zero() before touching rt->dev,
skip a device that is already dead, and drop the reference once the
destination has taken its own.
Fixes: 22cb45afd221 ("net: mctp: perform source address lookups when we populate our dst")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Aldo Ariel Panzardo <qwe.aldo@xxxxxxxxx>
---
A reproducer is available on request.
net/mctp/route.c | 19 +++++++++++++++++--
1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/net/mctp/route.c b/net/mctp/route.c
index 1f3dccbb7a..b19c63a569 100644
--- a/net/mctp/route.c
+++ b/net/mctp/route.c
@@ -998,14 +998,29 @@ int mctp_route_lookup(struct net *net, unsigned int dnet,
mtu = mtu ?: rt->mtu;
if (rt->dst_type == MCTP_ROUTE_DIRECT) {
- mctp_eid_t saddr = mctp_dev_saddr(rt->dev);
+ mctp_eid_t saddr;
+
+ /* rt->dev may be going away concurrently: its last
+ * reference is dropped in mctp_dev_put(), which frees
+ * mdev->addrs that mctp_dev_saddr() reads, and
+ * mctp_dst_from_route() takes a reference on it. Pin
+ * it before use, and skip a device that is already
+ * dead rather than resurrecting it.
+ */
+ if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&rt->dev->refs))
+ break;
+
+ saddr = mctp_dev_saddr(rt->dev);
/* cannot do gateway-ed routes without a src */
- if (saddr == MCTP_ADDR_NULL && depth != 0)
+ if (saddr == MCTP_ADDR_NULL && depth != 0) {
+ mctp_dev_put(rt->dev);
break;
+ }
if (dst)
mctp_dst_from_route(dst, daddr, saddr, mtu, rt);
+ mctp_dev_put(rt->dev);
rc = 0;
break;
--
2.43.0