[PATCH 1/2] vfio: Publish the container after all fallible initialization

From: Kyle Zeng

Date: Sat Oct 31 2026 - 00:25:38 EST


vfio_group_init() publishes /dev/vfio/vfio before vfio_init() has
finished. The optional no-IOMMU backend is also registered after the
misc device. A concurrent open can therefore obtain a container while
the module is still COMING, even if a later initialization step fails.

The failed-module-init path frees the module without waiting for these
open files. misc_deregister() prevents new opens, but does not revoke
existing files, leaving their vfio_fops and callbacks in freed module
memory. An unprivileged first-autoload race can trigger this by exhausting
the global task limit before the IRQFD workqueue creates its rescuer.
A subsequent VFIO_GET_API_VERSION ioctl reports:

BUG: KASAN: vmalloc-out-of-bounds in __se_sys_ioctl+0xaf/0x120
Read of size 8 at addr ffffffffc089df70 by task vfio_race/1484

Move container initialization out of vfio_group_init() and make it the
last fallible step in vfio_init(). Register the no-IOMMU backend before
the misc device, and unwind both resources in reverse order. Once an
open can reach vfio_fops, module initialization can no longer fail.

Fixes: cba3345cc494 ("vfio: VFIO core")
Signed-off-by: Kyle Zeng <kylebot@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/vfio/container.c | 22 +++++++++++++---------
drivers/vfio/group.c | 9 +--------
drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c | 8 ++++++++
3 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/vfio/container.c b/drivers/vfio/container.c
index 003281dbf8bc..bd245e23a55d 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/container.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/container.c
@@ -577,29 +577,33 @@ int __init vfio_container_init(void)
mutex_init(&vfio.iommu_drivers_lock);
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&vfio.iommu_drivers_list);

+ if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_VFIO_NOIOMMU)) {
+ ret = vfio_register_iommu_driver(&vfio_noiommu_ops);
+ if (ret)
+ goto err_mutex;
+ }
+
ret = misc_register(&vfio_dev);
if (ret) {
pr_err("vfio: misc device register failed\n");
- return ret;
+ goto err_noiommu;
}

- if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_VFIO_NOIOMMU)) {
- ret = vfio_register_iommu_driver(&vfio_noiommu_ops);
- if (ret)
- goto err_misc;
- }
return 0;

-err_misc:
- misc_deregister(&vfio_dev);
+err_noiommu:
+ if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_VFIO_NOIOMMU))
+ vfio_unregister_iommu_driver(&vfio_noiommu_ops);
+err_mutex:
+ mutex_destroy(&vfio.iommu_drivers_lock);
return ret;
}

void vfio_container_cleanup(void)
{
+ misc_deregister(&vfio_dev);
if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_VFIO_NOIOMMU))
vfio_unregister_iommu_driver(&vfio_noiommu_ops);
- misc_deregister(&vfio_dev);
mutex_destroy(&vfio.iommu_drivers_lock);
}

diff --git a/drivers/vfio/group.c b/drivers/vfio/group.c
index b2299e5bc6df..dc8f8a38723f 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/group.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/group.c
@@ -898,14 +898,10 @@ int __init vfio_group_init(void)
mutex_init(&vfio.group_lock);
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&vfio.group_list);

- ret = vfio_container_init();
- if (ret)
- return ret;
-
/* /dev/vfio/$GROUP */
ret = class_register(&vfio_class);
if (ret)
- goto err_group_class;
+ return ret;

ret = alloc_chrdev_region(&vfio.group_devt, 0, MINORMASK + 1, "vfio");
if (ret)
@@ -914,8 +910,6 @@ int __init vfio_group_init(void)

err_alloc_chrdev:
class_unregister(&vfio_class);
-err_group_class:
- vfio_container_cleanup();
return ret;
}

@@ -925,5 +919,4 @@ void vfio_group_cleanup(void)
ida_destroy(&vfio.group_ida);
unregister_chrdev_region(vfio.group_devt, MINORMASK + 1);
class_unregister(&vfio_class);
- vfio_container_cleanup();
}
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c b/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
index 423ead48aafe..dfc48a9e0fe6 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
@@ -1852,10 +1852,17 @@ static int __init vfio_init(void)
if (ret)
goto err_alloc_dev_chrdev;

+ /* Publish /dev/vfio/vfio only after all other fallible setup. */
+ ret = vfio_container_init();
+ if (ret)
+ goto err_container;
+
vfio_debugfs_create_root();
pr_info(DRIVER_DESC " version: " DRIVER_VERSION "\n");
return 0;

+err_container:
+ vfio_cdev_cleanup();
err_alloc_dev_chrdev:
class_unregister(&vfio_device_class);
err_dev_class:
@@ -1868,6 +1875,7 @@ static int __init vfio_init(void)
static void __exit vfio_cleanup(void)
{
vfio_debugfs_remove_root();
+ vfio_container_cleanup();
ida_destroy(&vfio.device_ida);
vfio_cdev_cleanup();
class_unregister(&vfio_device_class);

base-commit: 70dd4ee72eb2d5793c62e71c14e3aba78e5a4e56
--
2.53.0