[PATCH v3 1/2] ARM: mm: fix use-after-free in __do_user_fault() under CONFIG_DEBUG_USER

From: Qi Xi

Date: Fri Jun 26 2026 - 03:45:22 EST


When CONFIG_DEBUG_USER is enabled with user_debug=31 on 32-bit ARM,
a user page fault triggers show_pte() via __do_user_fault() after
do_page_fault() has already released mmap_read_lock. If another
thread concurrently calls munmap(), the page table pages can be
freed while show_pte() is still reading them, causing a
use-after-free in show_pte().

The race can be reproduced on multi_v7_defconfig with:
CONFIG_DEBUG_USER=y
CONFIG_ARM_LPAE=y
kernel command line: user_debug=31

A delay inserted in show_pte() for testing widens the race window and
makes the UAF reliably reproducible. On LPAE, the race works as
follows:

CPU 0 (fault path) CPU 1 (munmap)
munmap(page 0) -> clears PTE[0]
PTE/PMD pages remain

read page 0 -> page fault
-> do_DataAbort()
-> do_page_fault()
-> lock_mm_and_find_vma() -> no VMA
(mmap_read_lock released)
-> __do_user_fault()
-> show_pte(tsk->mm, addr)
-> *pgd (valid)
-> p4d/pud checks pass

-> [delay] munmap(page 1)
-> clears PTE[1]
-> PTE/PMD pages freed
-> PGD cleared

-> pmd_offset(pud, addr)
-> *pud=0 -> __va(0)
-> dereference
-> secondary data abort (kernel)

Fix by taking mmap_read_lock() around show_pte() in __do_user_fault().
__do_user_fault() is called from process context with interrupts
enabled, so the context can sleep and mmap_read_lock() is safe here.

Fixes: 1da177e4c3f4 ("Linux-2.6.12-rc2")
Tested-by: Yuanbin Xie <xieyuanbin1@xxxxxxxxxx>
Suggested-by: Yuanbin Xie <xieyuanbin1@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Qi Xi <xiqi2@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/arm/mm/fault.c | 2 ++
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/arch/arm/mm/fault.c b/arch/arm/mm/fault.c
index e62cc4be5a..1f2a85e1fa 100644
--- a/arch/arm/mm/fault.c
+++ b/arch/arm/mm/fault.c
@@ -181,7 +181,9 @@ __do_user_fault(unsigned long addr, unsigned int fsr, unsigned int sig,
pr_err("8<--- cut here ---\n");
pr_err("%s: unhandled page fault (%d) at 0x%08lx, code 0x%03x\n",
tsk->comm, sig, addr, fsr);
+ mmap_read_lock(tsk->mm);
show_pte(KERN_ERR, tsk->mm, addr);
+ mmap_read_unlock(tsk->mm);
show_regs(regs);
}
#endif
--
2.33.0