[PATCH] driver core: use READ_ONCE() for dev->driver in dev_has_sync_state()

From: Danilo Krummrich

Date: Sat Apr 18 2026 - 12:24:22 EST


dev_has_sync_state() reads dev->driver twice without holding
device_lock() -- once for the NULL check and once to dereference
->sync_state. Some callers only hold device_links_write_lock, which
doesn't prevent a concurrent unbind from clearing dev->driver via
device_unbind_cleanup().

Fix it by reading dev->driver exactly once with READ_ONCE(), pairing
with the WRITE_ONCE() in device_set_driver().

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/driver-core/DHW8QPU1VU1F.3P6PH69HLFBYC@xxxxxxxxxx/
Fixes: ac338acf514e ("driver core: Add dev_has_sync_state()")
Signed-off-by: Danilo Krummrich <dakr@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/device.h | 5 ++++-
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/device.h b/include/linux/device.h
index ac972e7bead4..4c1c9cb8570a 100644
--- a/include/linux/device.h
+++ b/include/linux/device.h
@@ -1018,9 +1018,12 @@ static inline void device_lock_assert(struct device *dev)

static inline bool dev_has_sync_state(struct device *dev)
{
+ struct device_driver *drv;
+
if (!dev)
return false;
- if (dev->driver && dev->driver->sync_state)
+ drv = READ_ONCE(dev->driver);
+ if (drv && drv->sync_state)
return true;
if (dev->bus && dev->bus->sync_state)
return true;

base-commit: 5b484311507b5d403c1f7a45f6aa3778549e268b
--
2.53.0