[PATCH] kernfs: fix suspicious RCU usage in kernfs_put()
From: Conor Kotwasinski
Date: Thu Apr 16 2026 - 09:47:25 EST
Commit 741c10b096bc ("kernfs: Use RCU to access kernfs_node::name.")
converted the WARN_ONCE() in kernfs_put() to read kn->name and
parent->name via rcu_dereference(), but kernfs_put() has callers that
hold neither kernfs_rwsem nor the RCU read lock. The inode eviction
path driven by memory reclaim is one such case:
kernfs_put+0x53/0x60 fs/kernfs/dir.c:602
evict+0x3c2/0xad0 fs/inode.c:846
iput_final fs/inode.c:1966 [inline]
iput.part.0+0x605/0xf50 fs/inode.c:2015
iput+0x35/0x40 fs/inode.c:1981
dentry_unlink_inode+0x2a1/0x490 fs/dcache.c:467
__dentry_kill+0x1d0/0x600 fs/dcache.c:670
shrink_dentry_list+0x180/0x5e0 fs/dcache.c:1174
prune_dcache_sb+0xea/0x150 fs/dcache.c:1256
super_cache_scan+0x328/0x550 fs/super.c:223
...
kswapd+0x556/0xba0 mm/vmscan.c:7343
lockdep complains with "suspicious RCU usage" whenever the WARN
fires from such a context.
Wrap the rcu_dereference() calls in an RCU read-side critical section.
Gate on the active-ref check so the lock is only taken when the WARN
is about to fire.
Note that this does not address the underlying imbalance in
kn->active that triggers the WARN.
Fixes: 741c10b096bc ("kernfs: Use RCU to access kernfs_node::name.")
Reported-by: syzbot+0dfe499ea713e0a15bec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=0dfe499ea713e0a15bec
Signed-off-by: Conor Kotwasinski <conorkotwasinski2024@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
fs/kernfs/dir.c | 11 +++++++----
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/fs/kernfs/dir.c b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
index 4f9ade82b08a..e88b71607f1e 100644
--- a/fs/kernfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
@@ -597,10 +597,13 @@ void kernfs_put(struct kernfs_node *kn)
*/
parent = kernfs_parent(kn);
- WARN_ONCE(atomic_read(&kn->active) != KN_DEACTIVATED_BIAS,
- "kernfs_put: %s/%s: released with incorrect active_ref %d\n",
- parent ? rcu_dereference(parent->name) : "",
- rcu_dereference(kn->name), atomic_read(&kn->active));
+ if (atomic_read(&kn->active) != KN_DEACTIVATED_BIAS) {
+ guard(rcu)();
+ WARN_ONCE(1,
+ "kernfs_put: %s/%s: released with incorrect active_ref %d\n",
+ parent ? rcu_dereference(parent->name) : "",
+ rcu_dereference(kn->name), atomic_read(&kn->active));
+ }
if (kernfs_type(kn) == KERNFS_LINK)
kernfs_put(kn->symlink.target_kn);
--
2.53.0