[PATCH] Input: iforce - bound the device-reported force-feedback effect index

From: Bryam Vargas via B4 Relay

Date: Sat Jun 13 2026 - 22:59:08 EST


From: Bryam Vargas <hexlabsecurity@xxxxxxxxx>

iforce_process_packet() handles a status report (packet id 0x02) by
taking a force-feedback effect index straight from the device wire and
using it to address the per-effect state array:

i = data[1] & 0x7f;
if (data[1] & 0x80) {
if (!test_and_set_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED,
iforce->core_effects[i].flags))
...
} else if (test_and_clear_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED,
iforce->core_effects[i].flags)) {
...
}

The index is masked only with 0x7f, so it ranges 0..127, but
core_effects[] holds only IFORCE_EFFECTS_MAX (32) entries. For an index
of 32..127 the test_and_set_bit()/test_and_clear_bit() is an
out-of-bounds single-bit read-modify-write past the array. core_effects[]
is the second-to-last member of struct iforce, so the write lands in the
trailing members and beyond the embedding kzalloc()'d iforce_serio /
iforce_usb object.

data[1] is unvalidated device payload on both transports (the USB
interrupt endpoint and serio), and the status path is not gated on force
feedback being present, so a malicious or counterfeit device can set or
clear a bit at an attacker-chosen offset past the object.

Reject an out-of-range index instead of indexing with it. Bound against
the array dimension IFORCE_EFFECTS_MAX rather than dev->ff->max_effects so
the check guarantees memory safety regardless of how many effects the
device registered. A legitimate "effect started/stopped" status always
carries an index below IFORCE_EFFECTS_MAX, so well-formed devices are
unaffected; the neighbouring mark_core_as_ready() loop is already bounded
and is left untouched.

Fixes: 1da177e4c3f4 ("Linux-2.6.12-rc2")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Bryam Vargas <hexlabsecurity@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Reachable from a malicious, malfunctioning or counterfeit iforce
force-feedback device on either transport: a USB device matching the
iforce id table (iforce-usb.c forwards the interrupt-IN buffer as
iforce_process_packet(.., data_in[0], data_in + 1, ..)) or an RS232
iforce peripheral bound via inputattach (iforce-serio.c forwards data_in).
data[1] is never validated on the path, and the 0x02 status block runs
regardless of packet length or whether force feedback was created.

struct iforce embeds core_effects[32] as its second-to-last member and is
itself the first member of the kzalloc()'d iforce_serio / iforce_usb
object (~4.8 KB, kmalloc-8k). A status report with data[1] = 0x80 | idx
sets bit FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED in core_effects[idx].flags; for idx up to 127
that is about 13 KB past the end of the array.

Verified with a faithful in-kernel KASAN litmus (the verbatim struct
iforce / iforce_serio layout and the case-0x02 effect-index block),
Linux 7.1.0-rc5, CONFIG_KASAN=y, kasan.fault=panic, x86_64:

Arm A, status report effect index 57 (chosen to clear the kmalloc-8k
bucket; KASAN's kmalloc redzone already trips from index 32):
BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ... Write of size 8
located 3440 bytes to the right of the allocated 4840-byte region
... cache kmalloc-8k of size 8192
Kernel panic - not syncing: kasan.fault=panic set
Arm B, with this patch (index bounded): clean
Arm C, benign in-range index: clean

AddressSanitizer (x86_64 and i386): heap-buffer-overflow WRITE, both ABIs.

The "Write of size 8" is the test_and_set_bit() read-modify-write on the
flags long. Reproducer and full logs available on request.
---
drivers/input/joystick/iforce/iforce-packets.c | 18 +++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/input/joystick/iforce/iforce-packets.c b/drivers/input/joystick/iforce/iforce-packets.c
index fd1cd731d781..ff266568d586 100644
--- a/drivers/input/joystick/iforce/iforce-packets.c
+++ b/drivers/input/joystick/iforce/iforce-packets.c
@@ -186,14 +186,18 @@ void iforce_process_packet(struct iforce *iforce,

/* Check if an effect was just started or stopped */
i = data[1] & 0x7f;
- if (data[1] & 0x80) {
- if (!test_and_set_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED, iforce->core_effects[i].flags)) {
- /* Report play event */
- input_report_ff_status(dev, i, FF_STATUS_PLAYING);
+ if (i < IFORCE_EFFECTS_MAX) {
+ unsigned long *flags = iforce->core_effects[i].flags;
+
+ if (data[1] & 0x80) {
+ if (!test_and_set_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED, flags)) {
+ /* Report play event */
+ input_report_ff_status(dev, i, FF_STATUS_PLAYING);
+ }
+ } else if (test_and_clear_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED, flags)) {
+ /* Report stop event */
+ input_report_ff_status(dev, i, FF_STATUS_STOPPED);
}
- } else if (test_and_clear_bit(FF_CORE_IS_PLAYED, iforce->core_effects[i].flags)) {
- /* Report stop event */
- input_report_ff_status(dev, i, FF_STATUS_STOPPED);
}

for (j = 3; j < len; j += 2)

---
base-commit: 8e65320d91cdc3b241d4b94855c88459b91abf66
change-id: 20260613-b4-disp-4828d263-5f8b1a7c2346

Best regards,
--
Bryam Vargas <hexlabsecurity@xxxxxxxxx>