[PATCH v3] tpm: flush timeout work outside buffer_mutex to avoid deadlock
From: hyunjungg
Date: Sun Nov 08 2026 - 11:58:46 EST
From: Hyunjung Ko <hj351016@xxxxxxxxx>
tpm_common_read() calls flush_work(&priv->timeout_work) under
priv->buffer_mutex, but tpm_timeout_work() also takes buffer_mutex, so a
running timeout work deadlocks the flush. Flush after unlocking; the timer
is deleted under the lock, so no new work can be queued.
Fixes: 9488585b21be ("tpm: add support for partial reads")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Hyunjung Ko <hj351016@xxxxxxxxx>
---
v3: Trim the commit message to the essentials per Jarkko's review.
No functional change (same as v2).
drivers/char/tpm/tpm-dev-common.c | 12 +++++++++++-
1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/drivers/char/tpm/tpm-dev-common.c b/drivers/char/tpm/tpm-dev-common.c
index 6569212..ee91f45 100644
--- a/drivers/char/tpm/tpm-dev-common.c
+++ b/drivers/char/tpm/tpm-dev-common.c
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ ssize_t tpm_common_read(struct file *file, char __user *buf,
{
struct file_priv *priv = file->private_data;
ssize_t ret_size = 0;
+ bool flush = false;
int rc;
if (!size)
@@ -164,9 +165,18 @@ out:
if (!priv->response_length) {
*off = 0;
timer_delete_sync(&priv->user_read_timer);
- flush_work(&priv->timeout_work);
+ flush = true;
}
mutex_unlock(&priv->buffer_mutex);
+
+ /*
+ * tpm_timeout_work() takes buffer_mutex, so flush it after dropping
+ * the mutex to avoid a deadlock; the timer is deleted above, so no new
+ * timeout work can be queued once the mutex is released.
+ */
+ if (flush)
+ flush_work(&priv->timeout_work);
+
return ret_size;
}
--
2.43.0