linux-kernel - [PATCH AUTOSEL 5.15 2/3] regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data

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Message-Id: <20250708000254.793684-2-sashal@kernel.org>
Date: Mon,  7 Jul 2025 20:02:53 -0400
From: Sasha Levin <sashal@...nel.org>
To: patches@...ts.linux.dev,
	stable@...r.kernel.org
Cc: Alessandro Carminati <acarmina@...hat.com>,
	Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>,
	Sasha Levin <sashal@...nel.org>,
	lgirdwood@...il.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH AUTOSEL 5.15 2/3] regulator: core: fix NULL dereference on unbind due to stale coupling data

From: Alessandro Carminati <acarmina@...hat.com>

[ Upstream commit ca46946a482238b0cdea459fb82fc837fb36260e ]

Failing to reset coupling_desc.n_coupled after freeing coupled_rdevs can
lead to NULL pointer dereference when regulators are accessed post-unbind.

This can happen during runtime PM or other regulator operations that rely
on coupling metadata.

For example, on ridesx4, unbinding the 'reg-dummy' platform device triggers
a panic in regulator_lock_recursive() due to stale coupling state.

Ensure n_coupled is set to 0 to prevent access to invalid pointers.

Signed-off-by: Alessandro Carminati <acarmina@...hat.com>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250626083809.314842-1-acarmina@redhat.com
Signed-off-by: Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@...nel.org>
---

Now I understand the bug. After unbind, the regulator_dev structure may
still exist and be accessed (e.g., during runtime PM operations). If
n_coupled is not reset to 0, code like regulator_lock_recursive() will
try to iterate through n_coupled entries in the coupled_rdevs array, but
that array has been freed and set to NULL, causing a NULL pointer
dereference.

**YES**

This commit should be backported to stable kernel trees for the
following reasons:

1. **It fixes a real NULL pointer dereference bug**: The commit
   addresses a crash that occurs when regulators are accessed after
   unbind. The issue is in `regulator_lock_recursive()` at line 326-327
   where it iterates through `n_coupled` entries in the `coupled_rdevs`
   array:
  ```c
  for (i = 0; i < rdev->coupling_desc.n_coupled; i++) {
  c_rdev = rdev->coupling_desc.coupled_rdevs[i];
  ```
  If `n_coupled > 0` but `coupled_rdevs` has been freed (set to NULL),
  this causes a NULL pointer dereference.

2. **The fix is minimal and safe**: The patch adds just one line:
  ```c
  rdev->coupling_desc.n_coupled = 0;
  ```
  This ensures that after freeing the coupling data, the count is also
  reset, preventing any code from trying to access the freed array.

3. **It affects a critical subsystem**: The regulator framework is
   essential for power management, and crashes in this subsystem can
   cause system instability or complete failure.

4. **The bug can be triggered during normal operations**: The commit
   message mentions this happens during runtime PM or other regulator
   operations, which are common scenarios, not edge cases.

5. **Similar to other backported fixes**: Looking at the historical
   commits, we see that similar coupling-related fixes have been
   backported:
   - "regulator: core: Release coupled_rdevs on
     regulator_init_coupling() error" (backported)
   - "regulator: da9063: fix null pointer deref with partial DT config"
     (backported)
   These precedents show that NULL pointer fixes in the regulator
subsystem are considered important for stable trees.

6. **Clear reproducer**: The commit mentions a specific platform
   (ridesx4) where unbinding the 'reg-dummy' platform device triggers
   the panic, indicating this is a reproducible issue.

The fix follows the stable kernel rules: it's a small, contained fix for
an important bug with minimal risk of regression.

 drivers/regulator/core.c | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/drivers/regulator/core.c b/drivers/regulator/core.c
index 18f13b9601b5b..ed5d58baa1f75 100644
--- a/drivers/regulator/core.c
+++ b/drivers/regulator/core.c
@@ -5359,6 +5359,7 @@ static void regulator_remove_coupling(struct regulator_dev *rdev)
 				 ERR_PTR(err));
 	}

+	rdev->coupling_desc.n_coupled = 0;
 	kfree(rdev->coupling_desc.coupled_rdevs);
 	rdev->coupling_desc.coupled_rdevs = NULL;
 }
-- 
2.39.5