[PATCH net] net: openvswitch: fix use-after-free of the flow table mask array

From: Norbert Szetei

Date: Sun Sep 06 2026 - 04:22:26 EST


tbl_mask_array_realloc() retires the old mask_array before it stops being
reachable:

old = ovsl_dereference(tbl->mask_array);
if (old) {
...
call_rcu(&old->rcu, mask_array_rcu_cb);
}

rcu_assign_pointer(tbl->mask_array, new);

call_rcu() only waits for read-side critical sections already in flight.
tbl->mask_array still points at old between the call_rcu() and the
rcu_assign_pointer(), so a reader entering ovs_flow_tbl_lookup_stats() in
that window picks up old in a fresh critical section that the pending
grace period does not cover.

tbl_mask_array_realloc() runs in process context under ovs_mutex, so the
window is preemptible and can outlast the grace period. Then
mask_array_rcu_cb() frees old before the swap runs:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in flow_lookup.constprop.0+0x2bf/0x2f0
Read of size 8 at addr ffff888020b3e018 by task poc/741
flow_lookup.constprop.0+0x2bf/0x2f0
ovs_flow_tbl_lookup_stats+0x4a3/0x5c0
ovs_dp_process_packet+0x19c/0x710
ovs_vport_receive+0x243/0x390
internal_dev_xmit+0x81/0x170
Freed by task 728:
kfree+0x16a/0x4e0
rcu_core+0x853/0x1030

Publish the new array before retiring the old one. The kfree_rcu() that
call_rcu() replaced ran after the swap.

Fixes: eac87c413bf9 ("net: openvswitch: reorder masks array based on usage")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-5
Signed-off-by: Norbert Szetei <norbert@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Reproducer available if needed. The issue was confirmed on a KASAN
build, where the crash reproduces in about a minute on a 2 vCPU guest.

net/openvswitch/flow_table.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/net/openvswitch/flow_table.c b/net/openvswitch/flow_table.c
index 67d5b8c0fe79..1e0f9d193eb0 100644
--- a/net/openvswitch/flow_table.c
+++ b/net/openvswitch/flow_table.c
@@ -257,11 +257,13 @@ static int tbl_mask_array_realloc(struct flow_table *tbl, int size)
if (ovsl_dereference(old->masks[i]))
new->masks[new->count++] = old->masks[i];
}
- call_rcu(&old->rcu, mask_array_rcu_cb);
}

rcu_assign_pointer(tbl->mask_array, new);

+ if (old)
+ call_rcu(&old->rcu, mask_array_rcu_cb);
+
return 0;
}

--
2.55.0