linux-kernel - Re: [Bug 11824][PATCH] ieee1394: raw1394: fix possible deadlock in multithreaded clients

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:13:03 +0100
From:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
To:	Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de>
Cc:	linux1394-devel@...ts.sourceforge.net,
	bugme-daemon@...zilla.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Dan Dennedy <dan@...nedy.org>,
	Johannes Weiner <hannes@...urebad.de>,
	Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@...llo.nl>
Subject: Re: [Bug 11824][PATCH] ieee1394: raw1394: fix possible deadlock in
	multithreaded clients


* Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de> wrote:

> Regression in 2.6.28-rc1:  When I added the new state_mutex which
> prevents corruption of raw1394's internal state when accessed by
> multithreaded client applications, the following possible though
> highly unlikely deadlock slipped in:
> 
> Thread A:                  Thread B:
>  - acquire mmap_sem         - raw1394_write() or raw1394_ioctl()
>  - raw1394_mmap()           - acquire state_mutex
>  - acquire state_mutex      - copy_to/from_user(), possible page fault:
>                               acquire mmap_sem
> 
> The simplest fix is to use mutex_trylock() instead of mutex_lock() in
> raw1394_mmap().  This changes the behavior under contention in a way
> which is visible to userspace clients.  However, since multithreaded
> access was entirely buggy before state_mutex was added and libraw1394's
> documentation advised application programmers to use a handle only in a
> single thread, this change in behaviour should not be an issue in
> practice at all.
> 
> Since we have to use mutex_trylock() in raw1394_mmap() regardless
> whether /dev/raw1394 was opened with O_NONBLOCK or not, we now use
> mutex_trylock() unconditionally everywhere for state_mutex, just to have
> consistent behavior.
> 
> Reported-by: Johannes Weiner <hannes@...urebad.de>
> Signed-off-by: Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de>
> ---
> 
> Background:  That new state_mutex went only in because raw1394_ioctl()
> already head some weak protection by the Big Kernel Lock, which I
> removed for the general reasons pro BKL removal (get better performance
> with local locks; make the locking clearer, easier to debug, more
> reliable).
> 
>  drivers/ieee1394/raw1394.c |    9 ++++++---
>  1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> 
> Index: linux/drivers/ieee1394/raw1394.c
> ===================================================================
> --- linux.orig/drivers/ieee1394/raw1394.c
> +++ linux/drivers/ieee1394/raw1394.c
> @@ -2268,7 +2268,8 @@ static ssize_t raw1394_write(struct file
>  		return -EFAULT;
>  	}
>  
> -	mutex_lock(&fi->state_mutex);
> +	if (!mutex_trylock(&fi->state_mutex))
> +		return -EAGAIN;
>  
>  	switch (fi->state) {
>  	case opened:
> @@ -2548,7 +2549,8 @@ static int raw1394_mmap(struct file *fil
>  	struct file_info *fi = file->private_data;
>  	int ret;
>  
> -	mutex_lock(&fi->state_mutex);
> +	if (!mutex_trylock(&fi->state_mutex))
> +		return -EAGAIN;
>  
>  	if (fi->iso_state == RAW1394_ISO_INACTIVE)
>  		ret = -EINVAL;
> @@ -2669,7 +2671,8 @@ static long raw1394_ioctl(struct file *f
>  		break;
>  	}
>  
> -	mutex_lock(&fi->state_mutex);
> +	if (!mutex_trylock(&fi->state_mutex))
> +		return -EAGAIN;

So we can return a spurious -EAGAIN to user-space, if the state_mutex 
is taken briefly by some other context?

	Ingo
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/