[PATCH net v3 1/1] serial: caif: hold tty->link reference in ldisc_open and ser_release

From: Shuangpeng Bai

Date: Wed Feb 25 2026 - 20:37:36 EST


A reproducer triggers a KASAN slab-use-after-free in pty_write_room()
when caif_serial's TX path calls tty_write_room(). The faulting access
is on tty->link->port.

Hold an extra kref on tty->link for the lifetime of the caif_serial line
discipline: get it in ldisc_open() and drop it in ser_release(), and
also drop it on the ldisc_open() error path.

With this change applied, the reproducer no longer triggers the UAF in
my testing.

This issue becomes reproducible on top of 308e7e4d0a84. Before that, the
reproducer typically hits another bug first, so this UAF is not
observable there.

Link: https://gist.github.com/shuangpengbai/c898debad6bdf170a84be7e6b3d8707f
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260215025141.1106576-1-shuangpeng.kernel@xxxxxxxxx/T/#maee804ef687b4442f18c74e8801f5cde421ab000
Fixes: 308e7e4d0a84 ("serial: caif: fix use-after-free in caif_serial ldisc_close()")
Signed-off-by: Shuangpeng Bai <shuangpeng.kernel@xxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c | 3 +++
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c b/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
index b90890030751..1873d8287bb9 100644
--- a/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
+++ b/drivers/net/caif/caif_serial.c
@@ -297,6 +297,7 @@ static void ser_release(struct work_struct *work)
dev_close(ser->dev);
unregister_netdevice(ser->dev);
debugfs_deinit(ser);
+ tty_kref_put(tty->link);
tty_kref_put(tty);
}
rtnl_unlock();
@@ -331,6 +332,7 @@ static int ldisc_open(struct tty_struct *tty)

ser = netdev_priv(dev);
ser->tty = tty_kref_get(tty);
+ tty_kref_get(tty->link);
ser->dev = dev;
debugfs_init(ser, tty);
tty->receive_room = 4096;
@@ -339,6 +341,7 @@ static int ldisc_open(struct tty_struct *tty)
rtnl_lock();
result = register_netdevice(dev);
if (result) {
+ tty_kref_put(tty->link);
tty_kref_put(tty);
rtnl_unlock();
free_netdev(dev);
--
2.34.1