[PATCH v2] staging: rtl8723bs: Fix potential race in expire_timeout_chk

From: Minu Jin

Date: Wed Jan 28 2026 - 21:32:34 EST


The expire_timeout_chk function currently do lock and unlock inside the
loop before calling rtw_free_stainfo().

This can be risky as the list might be changed
when the lock is briefly released.

To fix this, move expired sta_info entries into a local free_list while
holding the lock, and then perform the actual freeing after the lock is
released.

Signed-off-by: Minu Jin <s9430939@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes in v2:
- Use LIST_HEAD for init list (suggested by Dan Carpenter)
- Replace list_for_each_safe with list_for_each_entry_safe
- Clean up unused variable 'plist' and fix type of 'tmp' iterator.
- Remove redundant "free free_list" comment.

drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c | 27 ++++++++++++-------------
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c b/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
index 67197c7d4a4d..d0a26134b67d 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
@@ -172,45 +172,44 @@ static u8 chk_sta_is_alive(struct sta_info *psta)

void expire_timeout_chk(struct adapter *padapter)
{
- struct list_head *phead, *plist, *tmp;
+ struct list_head *phead;
u8 updated = false;
- struct sta_info *psta = NULL;
+ struct sta_info *psta = NULL, *tmp;
struct sta_priv *pstapriv = &padapter->stapriv;
u8 chk_alive_num = 0;
char chk_alive_list[NUM_STA];
int i;

+ LIST_HEAD(free_list);
+
spin_lock_bh(&pstapriv->auth_list_lock);

phead = &pstapriv->auth_list;
/* check auth_queue */
- list_for_each_safe(plist, tmp, phead) {
- psta = list_entry(plist, struct sta_info, auth_list);
-
+ list_for_each_entry_safe(psta, tmp, phead, auth_list) {
if (psta->expire_to > 0) {
psta->expire_to--;
if (psta->expire_to == 0) {
- list_del_init(&psta->auth_list);
+ list_move(&psta->auth_list, &free_list);
pstapriv->auth_list_cnt--;
-
- spin_unlock_bh(&pstapriv->auth_list_lock);
-
- rtw_free_stainfo(padapter, psta);
-
- spin_lock_bh(&pstapriv->auth_list_lock);
}
}
}

spin_unlock_bh(&pstapriv->auth_list_lock);
+
+ list_for_each_entry_safe(psta, tmp, &free_list, auth_list) {
+ list_del_init(&psta->auth_list);
+ rtw_free_stainfo(padapter, psta);
+ }
+
psta = NULL;

spin_lock_bh(&pstapriv->asoc_list_lock);

phead = &pstapriv->asoc_list;
/* check asoc_queue */
- list_for_each_safe(plist, tmp, phead) {
- psta = list_entry(plist, struct sta_info, asoc_list);
+ list_for_each_entry_safe(psta, tmp, phead, asoc_list) {
if (chk_sta_is_alive(psta) || !psta->expire_to) {
psta->expire_to = pstapriv->expire_to;
psta->keep_alive_trycnt = 0;
--
2.43.0