[PATCH RESEND] wifi: ath9k: stop using owl context after completion

From: Hongyan Xu

Date: Tue Jul 28 2026 - 09:43:15 EST


owl_remove() waits for eeprom_load, but both owl_fw_cb() and
owl_nvmem_work() completed it before their last uses of ctx. The
devm-allocated context can therefore be freed while the async path still
dereferences it.

Take a pci_dev reference and copy ctx-owned pointers while ctx is still
protected. Complete only after ctx is no longer needed.
Keep the completion before owl_rescan(). Rescan can remove the device
synchronously.

This issue was found by a static analysis tool.

Signed-off-by: Hongyan Xu <getshell@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Resend with Manivannan's current address. No code changes.

.../wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k_pci_owl_loader.c | 31 ++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 19 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k_pci_owl_loader.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k_pci_owl_loader.c
index fe1013a3a..1aefe21d2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k_pci_owl_loader.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k_pci_owl_loader.c
@@ -125,16 +125,19 @@ static void owl_rescan(struct pci_dev *pdev)
static void owl_fw_cb(const struct firmware *fw, void *context)
{
struct owl_ctx *ctx = context;
-
- complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
+ struct pci_dev *pdev = pci_dev_get(ctx->pdev);

if (fw) {
- ath9k_pci_fixup(ctx->pdev, (const u16 *)fw->data, fw->size);
- owl_rescan(ctx->pdev);
+ ath9k_pci_fixup(pdev, (const u16 *)fw->data, fw->size);
+ release_firmware(fw);
+ complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
+ owl_rescan(pdev);
} else {
- dev_err(&ctx->pdev->dev, "no eeprom data received.\n");
+ dev_err(&pdev->dev, "no eeprom data received.\n");
+ complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
}
- release_firmware(fw);
+
+ pci_dev_put(pdev);
}

static const char *owl_get_eeprom_name(struct pci_dev *pdev)
@@ -158,19 +161,23 @@ static const char *owl_get_eeprom_name(struct pci_dev *pdev)
static void owl_nvmem_work(struct work_struct *work)
{
struct owl_ctx *ctx = container_of(work, struct owl_ctx, work);
+ struct pci_dev *pdev = pci_dev_get(ctx->pdev);
+ struct nvmem_cell *cell = ctx->cell;
void *buf;
size_t len;

- complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
-
- buf = nvmem_cell_read(ctx->cell, &len);
+ buf = nvmem_cell_read(cell, &len);
if (!IS_ERR(buf)) {
- ath9k_pci_fixup(ctx->pdev, buf, len);
+ ath9k_pci_fixup(pdev, buf, len);
kfree(buf);
- owl_rescan(ctx->pdev);
+ complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
+ owl_rescan(pdev);
} else {
- dev_err(&ctx->pdev->dev, "no nvmem data received.\n");
+ dev_err(&pdev->dev, "no nvmem data received.\n");
+ complete(&ctx->eeprom_load);
}
+
+ pci_dev_put(pdev);
}

static int owl_nvmem_probe(struct owl_ctx *ctx)
--
2.50.1.windows.1