linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] USB: storage: Ignore driver CD mode for Realtek multi-mode Wi-Fi dongles

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]

Message-ID: <ff043574-e479-4a56-86a4-feaa35877d1a@rowland.harvard.edu>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2025 12:58:54 -0400
From: Alan Stern <stern@...land.harvard.edu>
To: Zenm Chen <zenmchen@...il.com>
Cc: gregkh@...uxfoundation.org, linux-usb@...r.kernel.org,
	usb-storage@...ts.one-eyed-alien.net, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	pkshih@...ltek.com, rtl8821cerfe2@...il.com, usbwifi2024@...il.com,
	stable@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] USB: storage: Ignore driver CD mode for Realtek
 multi-mode Wi-Fi dongles

On Thu, Aug 14, 2025 at 12:24:15AM +0800, Zenm Chen wrote:
> Many Realtek USB Wi-Fi dongles released in recent years have two modes: 
> one is driver CD mode which has Windows driver onboard, another one is
> Wi-Fi mode. Add the US_FL_IGNORE_DEVICE quirk for these multi-mode devices.
> Otherwise, usb_modeswitch may fail to switch them to Wi-Fi mode.

There are several other entries like this already in the unusual_devs.h 
file.  But I wonder if we really still need them.  Shouldn't the 
usb_modeswitch program be smart enough by now to know how to handle 
these things?

In theory, someone might want to access the Windows driver on the 
emulated CD.  With this quirk, they wouldn't be able to.

Alan Stern