[PATCH] media: gspca: hold a usb_device reference while registered

From: Shuangpeng Bai

Date: Fri Jul 17 2026 - 22:55:26 EST


gspca keeps a pointer to the probed struct usb_device in
gspca_dev->dev, but it does not hold a reference to it. The
V4L2/video-device reference can keep the outer gspca_dev alive after USB
disconnect, and the streaming queue can then be canceled from the last
file release path.

That late release path still calls into gspca_stream_off(), which may
call sub-driver stop callbacks or usb_set_interface() and dereference
gspca_dev->dev after the USB core has freed the device.

Take a reference to the usb_device when storing it in gspca_dev and drop
it from the final gspca_release() path. Balance the reference in the
probe error path as well.

Fixes: 63eb9546dcb5 ("V4L/DVB (8152): Initial release of gspca with only one driver.")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Shuangpeng Bai <shuangpeng.kernel@xxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/media/usb/gspca/gspca.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/media/usb/gspca/gspca.c b/drivers/media/usb/gspca/gspca.c
index 594d73e50b9f..59eb4cec1aed 100644
--- a/drivers/media/usb/gspca/gspca.c
+++ b/drivers/media/usb/gspca/gspca.c
@@ -1178,6 +1178,7 @@ static void gspca_release(struct v4l2_device *v4l2_device)
v4l2_ctrl_handler_free(gspca_dev->vdev.ctrl_handler);
v4l2_device_unregister(&gspca_dev->v4l2_dev);
kfree(gspca_dev->usb_buf);
+ usb_put_dev(gspca_dev->dev);
kfree(gspca_dev);
}

@@ -1462,7 +1463,7 @@ int gspca_dev_probe2(struct usb_interface *intf,
ret = -ENOMEM;
goto out;
}
- gspca_dev->dev = dev;
+ gspca_dev->dev = usb_get_dev(dev);
gspca_dev->iface = intf->cur_altsetting->desc.bInterfaceNumber;
gspca_dev->xfer_ep = -1;

@@ -1574,6 +1575,7 @@ int gspca_dev_probe2(struct usb_interface *intf,
if (sd_desc->probe_error)
sd_desc->probe_error(gspca_dev);
kfree(gspca_dev->usb_buf);
+ usb_put_dev(gspca_dev->dev);
kfree(gspca_dev);
return ret;
}
--
2.43.0