From: Yuqiang Sun <izaiahsun@gmail.com>
To: kbusch@kernel.org, hch@lst.de, sagi@grimberg.me, axboe@kernel.dk
Cc: john.garry@linux.dev, nilay@linux.ibm.com,
linux-nvme@lists.infradead.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
stable@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH v2] nvme: Do not drop the cdev reference twice when cdev_device_add() fails
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2026 17:50:15 +0800 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20261102095015.36448-1-izaiahsun@gmail.com> (raw)
Since commit 9952f3882ecb ("nvme: fix cdev lifetime"),
nvme_add_ns_cdev() and nvme_add_ns_head_cdev() take a reference to the
namespace (or namespace head) before calling nvme_cdev_add(), to be
dropped by the char device's release, nvme_cdev_rel(), and drop it
themselves when nvme_cdev_add() fails. But when cdev_device_add()
fails, nvme_cdev_add() has already put the device, and nvme_cdev_rel()
has already dropped that reference: the caller drops it a second time.
With one allocation failure injected into cdev_device_add() for a
namespace on an NVMe over loop controller, deleting the controller
gives, with native multipath:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in nvme_put_ns_head+0x21/0x140
Write of size 4 at addr ff1100000a4ea078 by task init/1
nvme_put_ns_head
nvme_put_ns
nvme_remove_namespaces
nvme_do_delete_ctrl
nvme_delete_ctrl_sync
nvme_sysfs_delete
Freed by task 1:
kfree
nvme_ns_remove
nvme_remove_namespaces
refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free.
Take the reference in nvme_cdev_add() instead, right before
cdev_device_add(), and let the callers neither take nor drop it. Add
nvme_is_ns_cdev() for the check that nvme_cdev_rel() and nvme_cdev_add()
now share.
Fixes: 9952f3882ecb ("nvme: fix cdev lifetime")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Reviewed-by: John Garry <john.garry@linux.dev>
---
Notes:
The bug was found with kbound, a research static analysis prototype.
The patch, the changelog and the test setup were written with the help
of an AI coding assistant (Claude); I have reviewed and tested them as
described below.
Changes in v2, after John's review:
- Add nvme_is_ns_cdev() for the check shared by nvme_cdev_rel() and
nvme_cdev_add().
- Shorten the comment and the changelog; the testing is below.
- Add John's Reviewed-by.
Tested on QEMU (x86_64, KVM) with KASAN, on next-20261030, with a loop
target exporting a null_blk device, with nvme_core.multipath=N and Y:
- failslab failing each allocation under nvme_cdev_add() in turn: before
this patch every failure in cdev_device_add() gives the report above
(or, with multipath=N, a use-after-free of the namespace in
nvme_mpath_clear_ctrl_paths()); with it nothing is reported, also
with lockdep and kmemleak.
- the case of 9952f3882ecb: hold /dev/ng0n1 open while the controller
is deleted, then issue NVME_IOCTL_ID and close it. With 9952f3882ecb
reverted this gives KASAN slab-use-after-free in cdev_put() at the
close, with either setting; with this patch nothing is reported.
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-nvme/20261101173400.98931-1-izaiahsun@gmail.com/
drivers/nvme/host/core.c | 18 +++++++++++++++---
drivers/nvme/host/multipath.c | 2 --
2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
index af71d02b8476..9ea9db0271c2 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
@@ -3941,10 +3941,16 @@ static int nvme_subsys_check_duplicate_ids(struct nvme_subsystem *subsys,
return 0;
}
+/* The char device of a namespace rather than of a namespace head */
+static bool nvme_is_ns_cdev(struct device *dev)
+{
+ return dev->parent->class == &nvme_class;
+}
+
static void nvme_cdev_rel(struct device *dev)
{
ida_free(&nvme_ns_chr_minor_ida, MINOR(dev->devt));
- if (dev->parent->class == &nvme_class)
+ if (nvme_is_ns_cdev(dev))
nvme_put_ns(container_of(dev, struct nvme_ns, cdev_device));
else
nvme_put_ns_head(container_of(dev, struct nvme_ns_head,
@@ -3978,6 +3984,14 @@ int nvme_cdev_add(struct cdev *cdev, struct device *cdev_device,
device_initialize(cdev_device);
cdev_init(cdev, fops);
cdev->owner = owner;
+ /* Undone in nvme_cdev_rel() */
+ if (nvme_is_ns_cdev(cdev_device))
+ nvme_get_ns(container_of(cdev_device, struct nvme_ns,
+ cdev_device));
+ else
+ nvme_get_ns_head(container_of(cdev_device,
+ struct nvme_ns_head,
+ cdev_device));
ret = cdev_device_add(cdev, cdev_device);
if (ret)
put_device(cdev_device);
@@ -4010,13 +4024,11 @@ static void nvme_add_ns_cdev(struct nvme_ns *ns)
{
ns->cdev_device.parent = ns->ctrl->device;
- nvme_get_ns(ns); /* Undone in nvme_cdev_rel() */
if (nvme_cdev_add(&ns->cdev, &ns->cdev_device,
&nvme_ns_chr_fops, ns->ctrl->ops->module,
ns->ctrl->instance, ns->head->instance)) {
dev_err(ns->ctrl->device, "Unable to create the ng%dn%d device\n",
ns->ctrl->instance, ns->head->instance);
- nvme_put_ns(ns);
return;
}
set_bit(NVME_NS_CDEV_LIVE, &ns->flags);
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/multipath.c b/drivers/nvme/host/multipath.c
index 9e0a0fd77c56..ae8059366b57 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/multipath.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/multipath.c
@@ -681,14 +681,12 @@ static void nvme_add_ns_head_cdev(struct nvme_ns_head *head)
{
head->cdev_device.parent = &head->subsys->dev;
- nvme_get_ns_head(head); /* Undone in nvme_cdev_rel() */
if (nvme_cdev_add(&head->cdev, &head->cdev_device,
&nvme_ns_head_chr_fops, THIS_MODULE,
head->subsys->instance, head->instance)) {
dev_err(disk_to_dev(head->disk),
"Unable to create the ng%dn%d device\n",
head->subsys->instance, head->instance);
- nvme_put_ns_head(head);
return;
}
set_bit(NVME_NSHEAD_CDEV_LIVE, &head->flags);
base-commit: d135ab453a7400a34930bdda1ef4bdc8acfac80e
--
2.53.0
next reply other threads:[~2026-11-02 9:50 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 3+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-11-02 9:50 Yuqiang Sun [this message]
2026-11-02 9:52 ` Yuqiang Sun
2026-11-02 17:29 ` Keith Busch
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