Re: kvm: use-after-free in process_srcu

[Paolo Bonzini]

On 17/01/2017 21:34, Paul E. McKenney wrote:
> Do any of your callback functions invoke call_srcu()?  (Hey, I have to ask!)

No, we only use synchronize_srcu and synchronize_srcu_expedited, so our
only callback comes from there.

>>>> From: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@xxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> Subject: [PATCH] srcu: wait for all callbacks before deeming SRCU "cleaned up"
>>>>
>>>> Even though there are no concurrent readers, it is possible that the
>>>> work item is queued for delayed processing when cleanup_srcu_struct is
>>>> called.  The work item needs to be flushed before returning, or a
>>>> use-after-free can ensue.
>>>>
>>>> Furthermore, because of SRCU's two-phase algorithm it may take up to
>>>> two executions of srcu_advance_batches before all callbacks are invoked.
>>>> This can happen if the first flush_delayed_work happens as follows
>>>>
>>>>                                                           srcu_read_lock
>>>>     process_srcu
>>>>         srcu_advance_batches
>>>>             ...
>>>>             if (!try_check_zero(sp, idx^1, trycount))
>>>>                 // there is a reader
>>>>                 return;
>>>>         srcu_invoke_callbacks
>>>>             ...
>>>>                                                           srcu_read_unlock
>>>>                                                           cleanup_srcu_struct
>>>>                                                               flush_delayed_work
>>>>         srcu_reschedule
>>>>             queue_delayed_work
>>>>
>>>> Now flush_delayed_work returns but srcu_reschedule will *not* have cleared
>>>> sp->running to false.
>
> But srcu_reschedule() sets sp->running to false if there are no callbacks.
> And at that point, there had better be no callbacks.

There must be no callbacks in batch_queue and in batch_check0, and of
course srcu_invoke_callbacks will have emptied batch_done as well.

However, I'm not sure that batch_check1 is always empty after the first
flush_delayed_work *if there's no srcu_barrier* in the caller.
srcu_advance_batches's second call to try_check_zero could have failed,
and then srcu_reschedule will requeue the work item to advance
batch_check1 into batch_done.

If this is incorrect, then one flush_delayed_work is enough.  If it is
correct, the possible alternatives are:

* srcu_barrier in the caller, flush_delayed_work+WARN_ON(sp->running) in
cleanup_srcu_struct.  I strongly dislike this one---because we don't use
call_srcu at all, there should be no reason to use srcu_barrier in KVM
code.  Plus I think all other users have the same issue.

* srcu_barrier+flush_delayed_work+WARN_ON(sp->running) in
cleanup_srcu_struct

* flush_delayed_work+flush_delayed_work+WARN_ON(sp->running) in
cleanup_srcu_struct

* while(flush_delayed_work) in cleanup_srcu_struct

* "while(sp->running) flush_delayed_work" in cleanup_srcu_struct

Paolo