[PATCH v3] staging: rtl8723bs: fix potential race in expire_timeout_chk

From: Minu Jin

Date: Thu Jan 29 2026 - 07:44:07 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 v3:
Suggested-by Dan Carpenter
- Use list_for_each_entry_safe() only for the new code.
- Remove blank line in the declaration block.
- Keep existing code unchanged

drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c | 16 +++++++++-------
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c b/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
index 67197c7d4a4d..2ee7cc0ebaf6 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/rtl8723bs/core/rtw_ap.c
@@ -178,6 +178,8 @@ void expire_timeout_chk(struct adapter *padapter)
struct sta_priv *pstapriv = &padapter->stapriv;
u8 chk_alive_num = 0;
char chk_alive_list[NUM_STA];
+ struct sta_info *psta_tmp;
+ LIST_HEAD(free_list);
int i;

spin_lock_bh(&pstapriv->auth_list_lock);
@@ -190,19 +192,19 @@ void expire_timeout_chk(struct adapter *padapter)
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, 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);
--
2.43.0