Forwarded: [PATCH] usb: gadget: u_serial: fix use-after-free in release_tty

From: syzbot

Date: Wed Sep 09 2026 - 17:07:23 EST


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Subject: [PATCH] usb: gadget: u_serial: fix use-after-free in release_tty
Author: adrianox@xxxxxxxxx

#syz test
gserial_free_line() frees the whole struct gs_port with kfree() once its
own open counter reaches zero. But the tty core keeps tty->port (which is
the embedded struct tty_port) for the lifetime of each tty; a concurrent
struct tty release can still dereference it from release_tty() after the
port has been freed, on a workqueue, racing the configfs teardown:

release_tty -> tty->port->itty = NULL (UAF)

Give the tty_port a proper reference count so it is only destroyed once
the last open tty releases it:
. gs_install holds a tty_port_get() for every opened tty,
. .cleanup drops it via tty_port_put(),
. the port's ops->destruct kfree()s the enclosing gs_port, and
. gserial_free_port just drops the base reference instead of kfree().
---
drivers/usb/gadget/function/u_serial.c | 55 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 53 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/usb/gadget/function/u_serial.c b/drivers/usb/gadget/function/u_serial.c
index cdd1dfc666c4..5a78deea2904 100644
--- a/drivers/usb/gadget/function/u_serial.c
+++ b/drivers/usb/gadget/function/u_serial.c
@@ -908,7 +908,53 @@ static int gs_get_icount(struct tty_struct *tty,
return 0;
}

+static void gs_port_destruct(struct tty_port *port)
+{
+ struct gs_port *gs = container_of(port, struct gs_port, port);
+
+ kfree(gs);
+}
+
+static const struct tty_port_operations gs_port_ops = {
+ .destruct = gs_port_destruct,
+};
+
+/*
+ * The tty core stores tty->port and later dereferences it from release_tty()
+ * on a workqueue, possibly after gserial_free_line() tore the gadget line
+ * down. Keep a reference to the port for the whole life of each tty so the
+ * embedded struct tty_port (and the enclosing gs_port) is only freed once no
+ * tty can reach it.
+ */
+static int gs_install(struct tty_driver *driver, struct tty_struct *tty)
+{
+ struct gs_port *port;
+ int status;
+
+ mutex_lock(&ports[tty->index].lock);
+ port = ports[tty->index].port;
+ if (!port) {
+ mutex_unlock(&ports[tty->index].lock);
+ return -ENODEV;
+ }
+ tty_port_get(&port->port);
+ mutex_unlock(&ports[tty->index].lock);
+
+ status = tty_port_install(&port->port, driver, tty);
+ if (status)
+ tty_port_put(&port->port);
+
+ return status;
+}
+
+static void gs_cleanup(struct tty_struct *tty)
+{
+ tty_port_put(tty->port);
+}
+
static const struct tty_operations gs_tty_ops = {
+ .install = gs_install,
+ .cleanup = gs_cleanup,
.open = gs_open,
.close = gs_close,
.write = gs_write,
@@ -1222,6 +1268,7 @@ gs_port_alloc(unsigned port_num, struct usb_cdc_line_coding *coding)
}

tty_port_init(&port->port);
+ port->port.ops = &gs_port_ops;
spin_lock_init(&port->port_lock);
init_waitqueue_head(&port->drain_wait);
init_waitqueue_head(&port->close_wait);
@@ -1258,8 +1305,12 @@ static void gserial_free_port(struct gs_port *port)
/* wait for old opens to finish */
wait_event(port->close_wait, gs_closed(port));
WARN_ON(port->port_usb != NULL);
- tty_port_destroy(&port->port);
- kfree(port);
+ /*
+ * Drop the base reference. The tty port is only freed (via
+ * gs_port_destruct) once the last open tty also released its
+ * install-time reference in gs_cleanup().
+ */
+ tty_port_put(&port->port);
}

void gserial_free_line(unsigned char port_num)
--
2.51.0