[PATCH v3] cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount

[PATCH v3] cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount

[Michal Koutný]

The commit 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from
cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()") extended the lifetime of
tasks on the dying_tasks list.
The iterators have provision to go through dying_tasks because of
dying threadgroup leaders or explicit CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, however,
it was expected that such tasks can obtain a new reference (that is
possible before cgroup_task_release()/put_task_struct_rcu_user()).
The tasks after cgroup_task_release() and before cgroup_task_free()
are subject to race when they may or may not have ->usage count > 0.

The race window is between css_task_iter_next() invocations
when css_set_lock is released and we may arrive at a new ->task_pos.
The iterator should not attempt to resurrect tasks whose ->usage count
dropped to zero. (When that happens, __put_task_struct_rcu_cb() is
already imminent and the returned task_struct would could be used
after free.)

As for the fix, we cannot simply check the signal->live count of a task
on the dying list because that won't distinguish regular zombies waiting
to be reaped from RCU remnant tasks that are going to be free'd.
Therefore add an extra check to rule out ->usage==0 tasks from any
iteration.

The repeat: loop in css_task_iter_advance() doesn't consider ->usage
count, so add a new loop to css_task_iter_next() to skip de-used tasks
on the dying_list.

Rough illustration of the possible race

  R (reader of cgroup.procs)         T (thread)                       L (group leader)
  ---------------------------------  -------------------------------- --------------------------------
                                                                      L exits, signal->live > 0
                                                                      cgroup_task_dead(L)
                                                                        css_set_skip_task_iters() // skips only cset->tasks
                                                                        list_add_tail(&L->cg_list, &cset->dying_tasks)
  css_task_iter_next()
    take css_set_lock
    css_task_iter_advance()
      leader && signal->live != 0
      => it->task_pos = &L->cg_list
    release css_set_lock
                                     T exits
                                     --signal->live == 0
				     cgroup_task_dead(T) // css_set_lock
                                     release_task(T)
                                       cgroup_task_release(T)
                                       release_task(L) // zap_leader
                                         cgroup_task_release(L)
                                         put_task_struct_rcu_user(L)
                                         ...RCU...
                                         put_task_struct(L)
                                           L->usage = 0
                                           /* L still on dying_tasks */
                                           ...RCU...
                                           __put_task_struct(L)
  css_task_iter_next() // another iteration
    take css_set_lock
    it->task_pos = &L->cg_list
    get_task_struct(L)
      => addition on 0
    drop css_set_lock
                                           cgroup_task_free(L)
                                             css_set_skip_task_iters() // dying skip comes too late
                                           free_task(L)
  cgroup_procs_show()
    task_pid_vnr(L)

Fixes: 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org # v6.19+
Link: https://lists.debian.org/debian-kernel/2026/08/msg00220.html
Reported-by: Noah Elias Feldt <N.Feldt@mittwald.de>
Reported-by: Salvatore Bonaccorso <carnil@debian.org>
Tested-by: Salvatore Bonaccorso <carnil@debian.org>
Signed-off-by: Michal Koutný <mkoutny@suse.com>
---
 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c | 7 +++++--
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

Changes from v2 (https://lore.kernel.org/r/20260907170345.45316-1-mkoutny@suse.com)
- return to tryget_task_struct() variant not to break CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD
- append Tested-by: from v1
- reword commit message

diff --git a/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c b/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
index c3a12fee7528f..112d68fe28778 100644
--- a/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
+++ b/kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c
@@ -5303,10 +5303,13 @@ struct task_struct *css_task_iter_next(struct css_task_iter *it)
 	if (it->flags & CSS_TASK_ITER_SKIPPED)
 		css_task_iter_advance(it);
 
-	if (it->task_pos) {
+	while (it->task_pos && !it->cur_task) {
 		it->cur_task = list_entry(it->task_pos, struct task_struct,
 					  cg_list);
-		get_task_struct(it->cur_task);
+		/* a task on dying_tasks with zero refcount is only valid for
+		 * RCU readers, not even interesting for
+		 * CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, find another one */
+		it->cur_task = tryget_task_struct(it->cur_task);
 		css_task_iter_advance(it);
 	}
 
-- 
2.55.0

Re: [PATCH v3] cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount

[Tejun Heo]

Hello,

Applied to cgroup/for-7.3-fixes.

Thanks.

--
tejun