[PATCH] ALSA: timer: Fix null dereference of 'timer->card' reported by smatch
From: hariconscious
Date: Mon Nov 03 2025 - 06:53:43 EST
From: HariKrishna Sagala <hariconscious@xxxxxxxxx>
Fix null dereference in snd_timer_proc_read().
Smatch reported that was previously assumed to be null
at line 1226, but later accessed without a check.
This could lead to a null pointer dereference under certain conditions.
Add a null check before accessing to ensure safe execution.
Signed-off-by: HariKrishna Sagala <hariconscious@xxxxxxxxx>
---
This patch addresses a null pointer dereference in snd_timer_proc_read()
by adding a proper check for timer->card.The issue was flagged by Smatch,
which noted that timer->card was previously assumed to be null at
line 1226 but accessed without validation.To ensure safe access, a
conditional check has been introduced before referencing timer->card.
The fix was verified by booting the kernel and performing audio playback
using ALSA commands. Additionally, the /proc/asound/timers
interface was inspected to confirm that timer information is
correctly populated and accessible without errors.
Note: Couldn't simulate a scenario where 'timer->card' is null and
'timer->card->shutdown' is 1 (shutdown initiated).
sound/core/timer.c | 5 +++--
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/sound/core/timer.c b/sound/core/timer.c
index d9fff5c87613..d65e8bcb2f46 100644
--- a/sound/core/timer.c
+++ b/sound/core/timer.c
@@ -1231,10 +1231,11 @@ static void snd_timer_proc_read(struct snd_info_entry *entry,
break;
case SNDRV_TIMER_CLASS_CARD:
snd_iprintf(buffer, "C%i-%i: ",
- timer->card->number, timer->tmr_device);
+ timer->card ? timer->card->number : -1, timer->tmr_device);
break;
case SNDRV_TIMER_CLASS_PCM:
- snd_iprintf(buffer, "P%i-%i-%i: ", timer->card->number,
+ snd_iprintf(buffer, "P%i-%i-%i: ",
+ timer->card ? timer->card->number : -1,
timer->tmr_device, timer->tmr_subdevice);
break;
default:
base-commit: 6093a688a07da07808f0122f9aa2a3eed250d853
--
2.43.0