[PATCH v3] driver core: avoid klist_remove() on unattached knode_driver
From: Nguyen Quang Le Kien
Date: Thu Aug 20 2026 - 03:46:18 EST
usb_driver_claim_interface() sets dev->driver directly and skips
device_bind_driver() when the interface is not yet registered, so the
device can reach teardown with dev->driver set but knode_driver never
added to the driver's klist_devices. __device_release_driver() then
unconditionally calls klist_remove() on the unattached node, which
dereferences a NULL klist pointer in klist_put() and crashes.
Only remove the node if the device is actually bound. Use
device_is_bound() rather than klist_node_attached() directly: the
latter is a raw klist API and does not NULL-check dev->p, while
device_is_bound() is the standard bound-state check used throughout
driver core (driver_bound(), __device_attach()).
Fixes: 94e7b1c5ff20 ("[PATCH] Add a klist to struct device_driver for the devices bound to it.")
Reported-by: syzbot+87188222c77c0dbbdb4d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=87188222c77c0dbbdb4d
Signed-off-by: Nguyen Quang Le Kien <khiemtranzo532001@xxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/base/dd.c | 3 ++-
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/drivers/base/dd.c b/drivers/base/dd.c
index 60c005223..4154b4499 100644
--- a/drivers/base/dd.c
+++ b/drivers/base/dd.c
@@ -1354,7 +1354,8 @@ static void __device_release_driver(struct device *dev, struct device *parent)
device_unbind_cleanup(dev);
device_links_driver_cleanup(dev);
- klist_remove(&dev->p->knode_driver);
+ if (device_is_bound(dev))
+ klist_remove(&dev->p->knode_driver);
device_pm_check_callbacks(dev);
bus_notify(dev, BUS_NOTIFY_UNBOUND_DRIVER);
--
2.34.1