* [PATCH v2 0/2] mtd: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles
@ 2026-10-09 7:35 tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for " tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 2/2] mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on " tze.yee.ng
0 siblings, 2 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: tze.yee.ng @ 2026-10-09 7:35 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: linux-kernel, Pratyush Yadav, Michael Walle, Takahiro Kuwano, linux-mtd
From: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
An open /dev/mtdX can outlive driver unbind. The MTD core keeps
mtd_info registered until the last close, but a spi-nor allocated
with devm_*() on the SPI device is already freed, so a later
close/ioctl/read hits freed memory.
v1 tried to fix that with a spi-nor-local kref and nor->removed.
That duplicated mtd->refcnt and still missed get_device() after
unbind, suspend/resume, and eraseregions. v2 puts the lifetime in
the MTD core instead.
- Patch 1: add optional mtd->_free() (called from kref release)
and mtd->removed so the core returns -ENODEV for hw ops, new
openers, and suspend/resume.
- Patch 2: on the spi-mem path, allocate spi_nor / params /
eraseregions / bouncebuf with kmalloc, install mtd->_free, and
set mtd->removed in remove() after draining in-flight ops.
Legacy controllers keep the old devres lifetime.
Changes in v2:
- Drop the unrelated RWW self-deadlock fix.
- New patch 1: MTD-core _free / removed hooks.
- Patch 2: drop the spi-nor kref / refcounted / controller_module
and the prep_and_lock*() removed checks; use the core hooks.
Also keep eraseregions on that lifetime, free on the probe
error path, and unregister debugfs from _free.
Tze Yee Ng (2):
mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for unbind with open
handles
mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles
drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c | 20 ++++++++
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c | 92 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h | 2 +
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c | 9 +---
include/linux/mtd/mtd.h | 13 +++++
5 files changed, 112 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)
--
2.43.7
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for unbind with open handles
2026-10-09 7:35 [PATCH v2 0/2] mtd: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles tze.yee.ng
@ 2026-10-09 7:35 ` tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:49 ` sashiko-bot
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 2/2] mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on " tze.yee.ng
1 sibling, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: tze.yee.ng @ 2026-10-09 7:35 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: linux-kernel, Pratyush Yadav, Michael Walle, Takahiro Kuwano, linux-mtd
From: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
An open /dev/mtdX can outlive unbind. refcnt defers device teardown, but
the driver-owned object embedding mtd_info (and its bus resources) may
already be gone when remove() returns — UAF for parent-devm allocations.
Add optional core hooks:
- mtd->_free(): called from kref release so the backing object lives until
the last reference drops
- mtd->removed: set after draining ops; core returns -ENODEV for hw ops,
new openers, and suspend/resume
Signed-off-by: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
---
Changes in v2:
- New.
- Drop the spi-nor-local kref and nor->removed.
- Add mtd->_free and mtd->removed in the core so the backing
object outlives unbind and later ops return -ENODEV.
---
drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++
include/linux/mtd/mtd.h | 13 +++++++++++++
2 files changed, 33 insertions(+)
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c b/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
index 491a27d0315f..59133894b5e5 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ static void mtd_device_release(struct kref *kref)
{
struct mtd_info *mtd = container_of(kref, struct mtd_info, refcnt);
bool is_partition = mtd_is_partition(mtd);
+ void (*mtd_free)(struct mtd_info *mtd) = mtd->_free;
debugfs_remove_recursive(mtd->dbg.dfs_dir);
@@ -135,6 +136,9 @@ static void mtd_device_release(struct kref *kref)
memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev));
module_put(THIS_MODULE);
+
+ if (mtd_free)
+ mtd_free(mtd);
}
#define MTD_DEVICE_ATTR_RO(name) \
@@ -1332,6 +1336,9 @@ int __get_mtd_device(struct mtd_info *mtd)
struct mtd_info *master = mtd_get_master(mtd);
int err;
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
+
if (master->_get_device) {
err = master->_get_device(master);
if (err)
@@ -1471,6 +1478,9 @@ int mtd_erase(struct mtd_info *mtd, struct erase_info *instr)
instr->fail_addr = MTD_FAIL_ADDR_UNKNOWN;
adjinstr = *instr;
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
+
if (!mtd->erasesize || !master->_erase)
return -ENOTSUPP;
@@ -1792,6 +1802,9 @@ int mtd_read_oob(struct mtd_info *mtd, loff_t from, struct mtd_oob_ops *ops)
ops->retlen = ops->oobretlen = 0;
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
+
ret_code = mtd_check_oob_ops(mtd, from, ops);
if (ret_code)
return ret_code;
@@ -1836,6 +1849,9 @@ int mtd_write_oob(struct mtd_info *mtd, loff_t to,
ops->retlen = ops->oobretlen = 0;
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
+
if (!(mtd->flags & MTD_WRITEABLE))
return -EROFS;
@@ -2331,6 +2347,8 @@ int mtd_lock(struct mtd_info *mtd, loff_t ofs, uint64_t len)
{
struct mtd_info *master = mtd_get_master(mtd);
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
if (!master->_lock)
return -EOPNOTSUPP;
if (ofs < 0 || ofs >= mtd->size || len > mtd->size - ofs)
@@ -2351,6 +2369,8 @@ int mtd_unlock(struct mtd_info *mtd, loff_t ofs, uint64_t len)
{
struct mtd_info *master = mtd_get_master(mtd);
+ if (master->removed)
+ return -ENODEV;
if (!master->_unlock)
return -EOPNOTSUPP;
if (ofs < 0 || ofs >= mtd->size || len > mtd->size - ofs)
diff --git a/include/linux/mtd/mtd.h b/include/linux/mtd/mtd.h
index 8d10d9d2e830..28fd98c4193c 100644
--- a/include/linux/mtd/mtd.h
+++ b/include/linux/mtd/mtd.h
@@ -362,6 +362,9 @@ struct mtd_info {
int (*_get_device) (struct mtd_info *mtd);
void (*_put_device) (struct mtd_info *mtd);
+ /* Optional free of the embedding object; called from kref release. */
+ void (*_free) (struct mtd_info *mtd);
+
/*
* flag indicates a panic write, low level drivers can take appropriate
* action if required to ensure writes go through
@@ -380,6 +383,10 @@ struct mtd_info {
struct module *owner;
struct device dev;
struct kref refcnt;
+
+ /* Set on unbind while refs held; core returns -ENODEV for hw ops. */
+ bool removed;
+
struct mtd_debug_info dbg;
struct nvmem_device *nvmem;
struct nvmem_device *otp_user_nvmem;
@@ -548,6 +555,9 @@ static inline int mtd_suspend(struct mtd_info *mtd)
struct mtd_info *master = mtd_get_master(mtd);
int ret;
+ if (master->removed)
+ return 0;
+
if (master->master.suspended)
return 0;
@@ -563,6 +573,9 @@ static inline void mtd_resume(struct mtd_info *mtd)
{
struct mtd_info *master = mtd_get_master(mtd);
+ if (master->removed)
+ return;
+
if (!master->master.suspended)
return;
--
2.43.7
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* [PATCH v2 2/2] mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles
2026-10-09 7:35 [PATCH v2 0/2] mtd: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for " tze.yee.ng
@ 2026-10-09 7:35 ` tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:57 ` sashiko-bot
1 sibling, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: tze.yee.ng @ 2026-10-09 7:35 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: linux-kernel, Pratyush Yadav, Michael Walle, Takahiro Kuwano, linux-mtd
From: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
spi_nor and its params, erase-region table and bounce buffer are
devm-allocated on the SPI device, so unbind frees them while /dev/mtdX
is still open. The MTD core keeps mtd_info around until the last close,
but the backing spi_nor is already gone, so a later close/ioctl/read
hits freed memory.
On the spi-mem probe path, allocate them with plain kmalloc/kzalloc and
install mtd->_free so the core frees them when the last handle closes.
In remove(), drain in-flight ops and set mtd->removed so later ops
return -ENODEV before touching the spimem/dirmaps freed by the SPI core.
Legacy controllers keep the devres lifetime (no mtd->_free) and are
unchanged.
Signed-off-by: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
---
Changes in v2:
- Drop the spi-nor kref, nor->refcounted, and controller_module.
Use mtd->_free / mtd->removed from patch 1.
- Drop the nor->removed checks in prep_and_lock*(). The core now
fences hw ops, new openers, and suspend/resume.
- Keep eraseregions on the same lifetime as params/bouncebuf
(plain kcalloc when mtd->_free is set).
- Free params/bouncebuf/eraseregions/nor on the probe error path.
Unregister debugfs from _free instead of a devm action.
- Legacy controllers still use devm (no mtd->_free).
---
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c | 92 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h | 2 +
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c | 9 +---
3 files changed, 79 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
index 8bc117b46e02..b28d896f16ed 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
@@ -3145,6 +3145,11 @@ static void spi_nor_init_default_params(struct spi_nor *nor)
}
}
+static bool spi_nor_uses_free_hook(struct spi_nor *nor)
+{
+ return nor->mtd._free;
+}
+
/**
* spi_nor_init_params() - Initialize the flash's parameters and settings.
* @nor: pointer to a 'struct spi_nor'.
@@ -3186,7 +3191,11 @@ static int spi_nor_init_params(struct spi_nor *nor)
{
int ret;
- nor->params = devm_kzalloc(nor->dev, sizeof(*nor->params), GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (spi_nor_uses_free_hook(nor))
+ nor->params = kzalloc_obj(*nor->params, GFP_KERNEL);
+ else
+ nor->params = devm_kzalloc(nor->dev, sizeof(*nor->params),
+ GFP_KERNEL);
if (!nor->params)
return -ENOMEM;
@@ -3549,8 +3558,12 @@ static int spi_nor_set_mtd_eraseregions(struct spi_nor *nor)
struct mtd_info *mtd = &nor->mtd;
u32 erasesize, i;
- mtd_region = devm_kcalloc(nor->dev, map->n_regions, sizeof(*mtd_region),
- GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (spi_nor_uses_free_hook(nor))
+ mtd_region = kcalloc(map->n_regions, sizeof(*mtd_region),
+ GFP_KERNEL);
+ else
+ mtd_region = devm_kcalloc(nor->dev, map->n_regions,
+ sizeof(*mtd_region), GFP_KERNEL);
if (!mtd_region)
return -ENOMEM;
@@ -3655,8 +3668,11 @@ int spi_nor_scan(struct spi_nor *nor, const char *name,
* than 1KB) after spi_nor_scan() returns.
*/
nor->bouncebuf_size = PAGE_SIZE;
- nor->bouncebuf = devm_kmalloc(dev, nor->bouncebuf_size,
- GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (spi_nor_uses_free_hook(nor))
+ nor->bouncebuf = kmalloc(nor->bouncebuf_size, GFP_KERNEL);
+ else
+ nor->bouncebuf = devm_kmalloc(dev, nor->bouncebuf_size,
+ GFP_KERNEL);
if (!nor->bouncebuf)
return -ENOMEM;
@@ -3770,6 +3786,22 @@ static int spi_nor_create_write_dirmap(struct spi_nor *nor)
return PTR_ERR_OR_ZERO(nor->dirmap.wdesc);
}
+/* Free spi_nor and related buffers; safe on partial init (kfree(NULL)). */
+static void spi_nor_free(struct spi_nor *nor)
+{
+ spi_nor_debugfs_unregister(nor);
+ kfree(nor->mtd.eraseregions);
+ kfree(nor->bouncebuf);
+ kfree(nor->params);
+ kfree(nor);
+}
+
+/* MTD core ->_free callback: last reference dropped, release the backing. */
+static void spi_nor_mtd_free(struct mtd_info *mtd)
+{
+ spi_nor_free(mtd_to_spi_nor(mtd));
+}
+
static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
{
struct spi_device *spi = spimem->spi;
@@ -3788,12 +3820,13 @@ static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
if (ret)
return ret;
- nor = devm_kzalloc(dev, sizeof(*nor), GFP_KERNEL);
+ nor = kzalloc_obj(*nor, GFP_KERNEL);
if (!nor)
return -ENOMEM;
nor->spimem = spimem;
nor->dev = dev;
+ nor->mtd._free = spi_nor_mtd_free;
spi_nor_set_flash_node(nor, dev->of_node);
spi_mem_set_drvdata(spimem, nor);
@@ -3819,7 +3852,7 @@ static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
ret = spi_nor_scan(nor, flash_name, &hwcaps);
if (ret)
- return ret;
+ goto err_free;
spi_nor_debugfs_register(nor);
@@ -3830,29 +3863,56 @@ static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
*/
if (nor->params->page_size > PAGE_SIZE) {
nor->bouncebuf_size = nor->params->page_size;
- devm_kfree(dev, nor->bouncebuf);
- nor->bouncebuf = devm_kmalloc(dev, nor->bouncebuf_size,
- GFP_KERNEL);
- if (!nor->bouncebuf)
- return -ENOMEM;
+ kfree(nor->bouncebuf);
+ nor->bouncebuf = kmalloc(nor->bouncebuf_size, GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (!nor->bouncebuf) {
+ ret = -ENOMEM;
+ goto err_free;
+ }
}
ret = spi_nor_create_read_dirmap(nor);
if (ret)
- return ret;
+ goto err_free;
ret = spi_nor_create_write_dirmap(nor);
if (ret)
- return ret;
+ goto err_free;
- return mtd_device_register(&nor->mtd, data ? data->parts : NULL,
- data ? data->nr_parts : 0);
+ ret = mtd_device_register(&nor->mtd, data ? data->parts : NULL,
+ data ? data->nr_parts : 0);
+ if (ret)
+ goto err_free;
+
+ return 0;
+
+err_free:
+ spi_nor_free(nor);
+ return ret;
}
static int spi_nor_remove(struct spi_mem *spimem)
{
struct spi_nor *nor = spi_mem_get_drvdata(spimem);
+ /*
+ * Drain in-flight ops and mark removed so later ops get -ENODEV
+ * before touching bus resources freed after this returns.
+ */
+ if (!spi_nor_use_parallel_locking(nor))
+ mutex_lock(&nor->lock);
+ else
+ wait_event(nor->rww.wait, spi_nor_rww_start_exclusive(nor));
+
+ nor->mtd.removed = true;
+
+ if (!spi_nor_use_parallel_locking(nor)) {
+ mutex_unlock(&nor->lock);
+ } else {
+ spi_nor_rww_end_exclusive(nor);
+ wake_up(&nor->rww.wait);
+ }
+
spi_nor_restore(nor);
/* Clean up MTD stuff. */
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h
index ba2d1a862c9d..e71b788b275c 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h
+++ b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.h
@@ -726,9 +726,11 @@ bool spi_nor_is_locked_sr(struct spi_nor *nor, loff_t ofs, u64 len, const u8 *sr
#ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_FS
void spi_nor_debugfs_register(struct spi_nor *nor);
+void spi_nor_debugfs_unregister(struct spi_nor *nor);
void spi_nor_debugfs_shutdown(void);
#else
static inline void spi_nor_debugfs_register(struct spi_nor *nor) {}
+static inline void spi_nor_debugfs_unregister(struct spi_nor *nor) {}
static inline void spi_nor_debugfs_shutdown(void) {}
#endif
diff --git a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
index 288e2866daed..a0639e91cb2d 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
@@ -286,10 +286,8 @@ static int spi_nor_capabilities_show(struct seq_file *s, void *data)
}
DEFINE_SHOW_ATTRIBUTE(spi_nor_capabilities);
-static void spi_nor_debugfs_unregister(void *data)
+void spi_nor_debugfs_unregister(struct spi_nor *nor)
{
- struct spi_nor *nor = data;
-
debugfs_remove(nor->debugfs_root);
nor->debugfs_root = NULL;
}
@@ -299,15 +297,10 @@ static struct dentry *rootdir;
void spi_nor_debugfs_register(struct spi_nor *nor)
{
struct dentry *d;
- int ret;
if (!rootdir)
rootdir = debugfs_create_dir(SPI_NOR_DEBUGFS_ROOT, NULL);
- ret = devm_add_action(nor->dev, spi_nor_debugfs_unregister, nor);
- if (ret)
- return;
-
d = debugfs_create_dir(dev_name(nor->dev), rootdir);
nor->debugfs_root = d;
--
2.43.7
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for unbind with open handles
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for " tze.yee.ng
@ 2026-10-09 7:49 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-10-09 7:49 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Michael Walle, linux-kernel, Pratyush Yadav, Takahiro Kuwano,
linux-mtd, tze.yee.ng
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 4 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Critical] mtd: Device Model lifecycle violation causing sysfs Use-After-Free
- [High] mtd: Use-After-Free of master object in __put_mtd_device()
- [High] mtd: Master driver object memory leak when CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER is disabled
- [High] mtd: lockless TOCTOU race on master->removed allows UAF on unbind
--
commit 5c236b852da3e75f7d2ec6f13275ac5b432bb26f
Author: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for unbind with open handles
This commit introduces a new _free hook to struct mtd_info called from the
kref release function to ensure the backing driver object is destroyed only
when the last reference drops. It also adds a removed flag to struct mtd_info
which is set on unbind and checked before performing hardware operations to
prevent Use-After-Free of parent devm resources.
> diff --git a/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c b/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
> index 491a27d0315fa..59133894b5e5c 100644
> --- a/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
> +++ b/drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c
> @@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ static void mtd_device_release(struct kref *kref)
> {
> struct mtd_info *mtd = container_of(kref, struct mtd_info, refcnt);
> bool is_partition = mtd_is_partition(mtd);
> + void (*mtd_free)(struct mtd_info *mtd) = mtd->_free;
>
> debugfs_remove_recursive(mtd->dbg.dfs_dir);
>
> @@ -135,6 +136,9 @@ static void mtd_device_release(struct kref *kref)
> memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev));
>
> module_put(THIS_MODULE);
> +
> + if (mtd_free)
> + mtd_free(mtd);
[Severity: Critical]
Since struct mtd_info embeds a struct device, does freeing it here violate the
Device Model lifecycle?
If user-space holds an open sysfs file for the device, the device core retains
an elevated kobject reference count on mtd->dev even after device_unregister()
returns.
If mtd_free() destroys the memory containing the embedded struct device, won't
the device core access freed memory when put_device() is eventually called upon
sysfs file closure?
[Severity: High]
Does this new mtd_free() hook cause a Use-After-Free in __put_mtd_device()?
Looking at __put_mtd_device() in drivers/mtd/mtdcore.c, we have:
if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER))
kref_put(&master->refcnt, mtd_device_release);
module_put(master->owner);
/* must be the last as master can be freed in the _put_device */
if (master->_put_device)
master->_put_device(master);
If mtd_device_release() synchronously frees the master object, won't the
subsequent dereferences of master->owner and master->_put_device access
freed memory?
[Severity: High]
Will the master driver object leak if CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER is disabled?
When CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER is disabled, the master device itself is
never registered via add_mtd_device(), so its refcount isn't incremented by
openers or managed by __get_mtd_device() or __put_mtd_device().
If drivers no longer free their objects in the remove() callback and rely
entirely on mtd_device_release(), how will the master driver object be freed
when CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER is disabled?
> }
>
> #define MTD_DEVICE_ATTR_RO(name) \
[ ... ]
> @@ -1471,6 +1478,9 @@ int mtd_erase(struct mtd_info *mtd, struct erase_info *instr)
> instr->fail_addr = MTD_FAIL_ADDR_UNKNOWN;
> adjinstr = *instr;
>
> + if (master->removed)
> + return -ENODEV;
> +
[Severity: High]
Is this lockless check sufficient to prevent the Use-After-Free this patch
aims to solve?
If mtd_erase() checks master->removed and it evaluates to false, the thread
could be preempted.
If a concurrent driver unbind executes the driver's remove() callback,
drains in-flight operations, sets master->removed = true, and then the device
model tears down devm-managed resources, wouldn't the preempted MTD thread
resume and call master->_erase() on freed devm memory and a powered-down bus?
> if (!mtd->erasesize || !master->_erase)
> return -ENOTSUPP;
>
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/cover.1791512623.git.tze.yee.ng@altera.com?part=1
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 2/2] mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on " tze.yee.ng
@ 2026-10-09 7:57 ` sashiko-bot
0 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: sashiko-bot @ 2026-10-09 7:57 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Michael Walle, Pratyush Yadav, Takahiro Kuwano, tze.yee.ng,
linux-kernel, linux-mtd
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 6 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [Critical] mtd: spi-nor: double-free on mtd_device_register error path
- [High] mtd: spi-nor: UAF via TOCTOU race from lockless master->removed check
- [High] mtd: spi-nor: UAF on nor->id and erase_map via debugfs after unbind
- [High] mtd: spi-nor: UAF and NULL pointer deref in spi_nor_put_device() on unbind
- [Medium] mtd: spi-nor: memory leak of mtd_region on error path
- [Medium] mtd: spi-nor: memory leak of spi_nor object on unbind
--
commit cf3ecfea956c974ea676c9cd71ff2115f0af32ca
Author: Tze Yee Ng <tze.yee.ng@altera.com>
mtd: spi-nor: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles
The commit switches spi_nor objects from devm_kzalloc to kzalloc with
a custom mtd->_free hook to ensure they outlive the device if file handles
are held open. It also sets a removed flag in the remove callback to
fence off hardware operations during devres teardown.
> diff --git a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
> index 8bc117b46e028..b28d896f16ed5 100644
> --- a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
> +++ b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c
[ ... ]
> @@ -3549,8 +3558,12 @@ static int spi_nor_set_mtd_eraseregions(struct spi_nor *nor)
> struct mtd_info *mtd = &nor->mtd;
> u32 erasesize, i;
>
> - mtd_region = devm_kcalloc(nor->dev, map->n_regions, sizeof(*mtd_region),
> - GFP_KERNEL);
> + if (spi_nor_uses_free_hook(nor))
> + mtd_region = kcalloc(map->n_regions, sizeof(*mtd_region),
> + GFP_KERNEL);
> + else
> + mtd_region = devm_kcalloc(nor->dev, map->n_regions,
> + sizeof(*mtd_region), GFP_KERNEL);
> if (!mtd_region)
> return -ENOMEM;
[Severity: Medium]
Since mtd_region is now allocated with kcalloc, does it get leaked if
spi_nor_get_region_erasesize() fails later in this function?
If an early return happens here:
drivers/mtd/spi-nor/core.c:spi_nor_set_mtd_eraseregions() {
...
for (i = 0; i < map->n_regions; i++) {
erasesize = spi_nor_get_region_erasesize(®ion[i],
map->erase_type);
if (!erasesize)
return -EINVAL;
...
}
mtd_region isn't yet assigned to mtd->eraseregions, so spi_nor_free() will
just call kfree(NULL) and leak this allocation.
[ ... ]
> @@ -3788,12 +3820,13 @@ static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
> if (ret)
> return ret;
>
> - nor = devm_kzalloc(dev, sizeof(*nor), GFP_KERNEL);
> + nor = kzalloc_obj(*nor, GFP_KERNEL);
> if (!nor)
> return -ENOMEM;
>
> nor->spimem = spimem;
> nor->dev = dev;
> + nor->mtd._free = spi_nor_mtd_free;
[Severity: High]
Does extending the lifetime of the spi_nor object cause a crash in
spi_nor_put_device() if the file is closed after the driver unbinds?
When the MTD device is eventually closed, mtdchar_close() calls
spi_nor_put_device(). Since nor is still alive, it will attempt to access
nor->spimem to find the controller. However, nor->spimem was allocated
via devres and freed on unbind. This also attempts to access dev->driver
which will be NULL.
[ ... ]
> @@ -3830,29 +3863,56 @@ static int spi_nor_probe(struct spi_mem *spimem)
[ ... ]
> - return mtd_device_register(&nor->mtd, data ? data->parts : NULL,
> - data ? data->nr_parts : 0);
> + ret = mtd_device_register(&nor->mtd, data ? data->parts : NULL,
> + data ? data->nr_parts : 0);
> + if (ret)
> + goto err_free;
> +
> + return 0;
> +
> +err_free:
> + spi_nor_free(nor);
> + return ret;
> }
[Severity: Critical]
Can this cause a double-free of the spi_nor object?
If mtd_device_register() succeeds in registering the master MTD but fails
subsequently (e.g., partition allocation fails), the MTD core's error cleanup
drops the master's kref to 0. This triggers mtd->_free (spi_nor_free) and
frees the object.
Then mtd_device_register() returns an error code, causing a jump to err_free
where spi_nor_free(nor) is called a second time on the already-freed pointer.
[ ... ]
> @@ -3875,6 +3908,21 @@ static int spi_nor_remove(struct spi_mem *spimem)
> {
> struct spi_nor *nor = spi_mem_get_drvdata(spimem);
>
> + /*
> + * Drain in-flight ops and mark removed so later ops get -ENODEV
> + * before touching bus resources freed after this returns.
> + */
> + if (!spi_nor_use_parallel_locking(nor))
> + mutex_lock(&nor->lock);
> + else
> + wait_event(nor->rww.wait, spi_nor_rww_start_exclusive(nor));
> +
> + nor->mtd.removed = true;
> +
> + if (!spi_nor_use_parallel_locking(nor)) {
> + mutex_unlock(&nor->lock);
> + } else {
> + spi_nor_rww_end_exclusive(nor);
> + wake_up(&nor->rww.wait);
> + }
[Severity: High]
Does this create a TOCTOU race with lockless readers?
A reader in the MTD core can check master->removed locklessly and proceed.
If that reader blocks waiting for nor->lock, and spi_nor_remove() concurrently
acquires the lock, sets nor->mtd.removed = true, releases the lock, and returns,
the driver unbind completes and devres frees resources like nor->spimem.
The blocked reader will then wake up, acquire the lock (failing to check
removed again), and try to access the freed devres resources.
>
> spi_nor_restore(nor);
>
> /* Clean up MTD stuff. */
> return mtd_device_unregister(&nor->mtd);
> }
[Severity: Medium]
Will this leak the entire spi_nor object if the device has partitions but
CONFIG_MTD_PARTITIONED_MASTER is disabled?
When that config is disabled, the master MTD is never registered. In that
scenario, mtd_device_unregister() returns 0 early without invoking kref_put()
on the master.
This means mtd->_free() will never be called, permanently leaking the
kzalloc'd spi_nor object.
> diff --git a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
> index 288e2866daedb..a0639e91cb2d9 100644
> --- a/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
> +++ b/drivers/mtd/spi-nor/debugfs.c
[ ... ]
> @@ -299,15 +297,10 @@ static struct dentry *rootdir;
> void spi_nor_debugfs_register(struct spi_nor *nor)
> {
> struct dentry *d;
> - int ret;
>
> if (!rootdir)
> rootdir = debugfs_create_dir(SPI_NOR_DEBUGFS_ROOT, NULL);
>
> - ret = devm_add_action(nor->dev, spi_nor_debugfs_unregister, nor);
> - if (ret)
> - return;
> -
> d = debugfs_create_dir(dev_name(nor->dev), rootdir);
> nor->debugfs_root = d;
[Severity: High]
Since this devm_add_action() is removed, do the debugfs files remain
accessible after unbind completes, while we wait for the final mtd close?
If the debugfs files persist, accessing them can cause a use-after-free.
For example, reading the params file will call spi_nor_params_show(), which
dereferences nor->id and erase_map.regions. Since those were allocated via
devres, they are freed when the driver unbinds, even if the spi_nor object
itself is kept alive.
--
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/cover.1791512623.git.tze.yee.ng@altera.com?part=2
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
end of thread, other threads:[~2026-10-09 7:57 UTC | newest]
Thread overview: 5+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed)
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2026-10-09 7:35 [PATCH v2 0/2] mtd: fix use-after-free on unbind with open handles tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:35 ` [PATCH v2 1/2] mtd: core: add release hook and removed flag for " tze.yee.ng
2026-10-09 7:49 ` sashiko-bot
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2026-10-09 7:57 ` sashiko-bot
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