In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race
Patch series "mm/damon/core: fix damon_call()/damos_walk() vs kdmond exit
race".
damon_call() and damos_walk() can leak memory and/or deadlock when they
race with kdamond terminations. Fix those.
This patch (of 2);
When kdamond_fn() main loop is finished, the function cancels all
remaining damon_call() requests and unset the damon_ctx->kdamond so that
API callers and API functions themselves can know the context is
terminated. damon_call() adds the caller's request to the queue first.
After that, it shows if the kdamond of the damon_ctx is still running
(damon_ctx->kdamond is set). Only if the kdamond is running, damon_call()
starts waiting for the kdamond's handling of the newly added request.
The damon_call() requests registration and damon_ctx->kdamond unset are
protected by different mutexes, though. Hence, damon_call() could race
with damon_ctx->kdamond unset, and result in deadlocks.
For example, let's suppose kdamond successfully finished the damon_call()
requests cancelling. Right after that, damon_call() is called for the
context. It registers the new request, and shows the context is still
running, because damon_ctx->kdamond unset is not yet done. Hence the
damon_call() caller starts waiting for the handling of the request.
However, the kdamond is already on the termination steps, so it never
handles the new request. As a result, the damon_call() caller threads
infinitely waits.
Fix this by introducing another damon_ctx field, namely
call_controls_obsolete. It is protected by the
damon_ctx->call_controls_lock, which protects damon_call() requests
registration. Initialize (unset) it in kdamond_fn() before letting
damon_start() returns and set it just before the cancelling of remaining
damon_call() requests is executed. damon_call() reads the obsolete field
under the lock and avoids adding a new request.
After this change, only requests that are guaranteed to be handled or
cancelled are registered. Hence the after-registration DAMON context
termination check is no longer needed. Remove it together.
Note that the deadlock will not happen when damon_call() is called for
repeat mode request. In tis case, damon_call() returns instead of waiting
for the handling when the request registration succeeds and it shows the
kdamond is running. However, if the request also has dealloc_on_cancel,
the request memory would be leaked.
The issue is found by sashiko [1].