linux-kernel - [PATCH v3] slab: Avoid race on slab->obj_exts in alloc_slab_obj

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-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-Id: <20251021010353.1187193-1-hao.ge@linux.dev>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:03:53 +0800
From: Hao Ge <hao.ge@...ux.dev>
To: Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@...e.cz>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Christoph Lameter <cl@...two.org>,
	David Rientjes <rientjes@...gle.com>,
	Roman Gushchin <roman.gushchin@...ux.dev>,
	Harry Yoo <harry.yoo@...cle.com>,
	Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@...gle.com>
Cc: Shakeel Butt <shakeel.butt@...ux.dev>,
	linux-mm@...ck.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Hao Ge <gehao@...inos.cn>,
	stable@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH v3] slab: Avoid race on slab->obj_exts in alloc_slab_obj_exts

From: Hao Ge <gehao@...inos.cn>

If two competing threads enter alloc_slab_obj_exts() and one of them
fails to allocate the object extension vector, it might override the
valid slab->obj_exts allocated by the other thread with
OBJEXTS_ALLOC_FAIL. This will cause the thread that lost this race and
expects a valid pointer to dereference a NULL pointer later on.

Update slab->obj_exts atomically using cmpxchg() to avoid
slab->obj_exts overrides by racing threads.

Thanks for Vlastimil and Suren's help with debugging.

Fixes: f7381b911640 ("slab: mark slab->obj_exts allocation failures unconditionally")
Cc: <stable@...r.kernel.org>
Suggested-by: Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@...gle.com>
Signed-off-by: Hao Ge <gehao@...inos.cn>
---
v3: According to Suren's suggestion, simplify the commit message and the code comments.
    Thanks for Suren.

v2: Incorporate handling for the scenario where, if mark_failed_objexts_alloc wins the race,
    the other process (that previously succeeded in allocation) will lose the race, based on Suren's suggestion.
    Add Suggested-by: Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@...gle.com>
---
 mm/slub.c | 9 ++++++---
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/mm/slub.c b/mm/slub.c
index 2e4340c75be2..d4403341c9df 100644
--- a/mm/slub.c
+++ b/mm/slub.c
@@ -2054,7 +2054,7 @@ static inline void mark_objexts_empty(struct slabobj_ext *obj_exts)
 
 static inline void mark_failed_objexts_alloc(struct slab *slab)
 {
-	slab->obj_exts = OBJEXTS_ALLOC_FAIL;
+	cmpxchg(&slab->obj_exts, 0, OBJEXTS_ALLOC_FAIL);
 }
 
 static inline void handle_failed_objexts_alloc(unsigned long obj_exts,
@@ -2136,6 +2136,7 @@ int alloc_slab_obj_exts(struct slab *slab, struct kmem_cache *s,
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMCG
 	new_exts |= MEMCG_DATA_OBJEXTS;
 #endif
+retry:
 	old_exts = READ_ONCE(slab->obj_exts);
 	handle_failed_objexts_alloc(old_exts, vec, objects);
 	if (new_slab) {
@@ -2145,8 +2146,7 @@ int alloc_slab_obj_exts(struct slab *slab, struct kmem_cache *s,
 		 * be simply assigned.
 		 */
 		slab->obj_exts = new_exts;
-	} else if ((old_exts & ~OBJEXTS_FLAGS_MASK) ||
-		   cmpxchg(&slab->obj_exts, old_exts, new_exts) != old_exts) {
+	} else if (old_exts & ~OBJEXTS_FLAGS_MASK) {
 		/*
 		 * If the slab is already in use, somebody can allocate and
 		 * assign slabobj_exts in parallel. In this case the existing
@@ -2158,6 +2158,9 @@ int alloc_slab_obj_exts(struct slab *slab, struct kmem_cache *s,
 		else
 			kfree(vec);
 		return 0;
+	} else if (cmpxchg(&slab->obj_exts, old_exts, new_exts) != old_exts) {
+		/* Retry if a racing thread changed slab->obj_exts from under us. */
+		goto retry;
 	}
 
 	if (allow_spin)
-- 
2.25.1