Re: [PATCH v2] pidfd: getfd should always report ESRCH if a task is exiting

From: Christian Brauner
Date: Wed Feb 07 2024 - 04:30:06 EST


On Wed, Feb 07, 2024 at 10:15:25AM +0100, Christian Brauner wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 06, 2024 at 12:23:57PM -0700, Tycho Andersen wrote:
> > From: Tycho Andersen <tandersen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > We can get EBADF from __pidfd_fget() if a task is currently exiting, which
> > might be confusing. Let's check PF_EXITING, and just report ESRCH if so.
> >
> > I chose PF_EXITING, because it is set in exit_signals(), which is called
> > before exit_files(). Since ->exit_status is mostly set after exit_files()
> > in exit_notify(), using that still leaves a window open for the race.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Tycho Andersen <tandersen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > v2: fix a race in the check by putting the check after __pidfd_fget()
> > (thanks Oleg)
> > ---
> > kernel/pid.c | 17 +++++++++-
> > .../selftests/pidfd/pidfd_getfd_test.c | 31 ++++++++++++++++++-
> > 2 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/kernel/pid.c b/kernel/pid.c
> > index de0bf2f8d18b..a8cd6296ed6d 100644
> > --- a/kernel/pid.c
> > +++ b/kernel/pid.c
> > @@ -693,8 +693,23 @@ static int pidfd_getfd(struct pid *pid, int fd)
> >
> > file = __pidfd_fget(task, fd);
> > put_task_struct(task);
> > - if (IS_ERR(file))
> > + if (IS_ERR(file)) {
> > + /*
> > + * It is possible that the target thread is exiting; it can be
> > + * either:
> > + * 1. before exit_signals(), which gives a real fd
> > + * 2. before exit_files() takes the task_lock() gives a real fd
> > + * 3. after exit_files() releases task_lock(), ->files is NULL;
> > + * this has PF_EXITING, since it was set in exit_signals(),
> > + * __pidfd_fget() returns EBADF.
> > + * In case 3 we get EBADF, but that really means ESRCH, since
> > + * the task is currently exiting and has freed its files
> > + * struct, so we fix it up.
> > + */
> > + if (task->flags & PF_EXITING && PTR_ERR(file) == -EBADF)
> > + return -ESRCH;
>
> Isn't that a potential UAF because we called put_task_struct() above but
> this is exiting task->flags afterwards?

s/exiting/accessing/