CVE-2021-47324

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

watchdog: Fix possible use-after-free in wdt_startup()

This modules remove path calls del_timer(). However, that function does not wait until the timer handler finishes. This means that the timer handler may still be running after the drivers remove function has finished, which would result in a use-after-free.

Fix by calling del_timer_sync(), which makes sure the timer handler has finished, and unable to re-schedule itself.

Weakness

Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code.

Affected Software

Extended Description

The use of previously-freed memory can have any number of adverse consequences, ranging from the corruption of valid data to the execution of arbitrary code, depending on the instantiation and timing of the flaw. The simplest way data corruption may occur involves the system’s reuse of the freed memory. Use-after-free errors have two common and sometimes overlapping causes:

In this scenario, the memory in question is allocated to another pointer validly at some point after it has been freed. The original pointer to the freed memory is used again and points to somewhere within the new allocation. As the data is changed, it corrupts the validly used memory; this induces undefined behavior in the process. If the newly allocated data happens to hold a class, in C++ for example, various function pointers may be scattered within the heap data. If one of these function pointers is overwritten with an address to valid shellcode, execution of arbitrary code can be achieved.

Potential Mitigations

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ac50a76cf3cd63db000648b3b19f3f98b8aaa76
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/146cc288fb80c662c9c35e7bc58325d1ac0a7875
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63a3dc24bd053792f84cb4eef0168b1266202a02
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/862f2b5a7c38762ac9e369daefbf361a91aca685
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8adbbe6c86bb13e14f8a19e036ae5f4f5661fd90
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a397cb4576fc2fc802562418b3a50b8f67d60d31
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4ebf4a4692e84163a69444c70ad515de06e2259
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c08a6b31e4917034f0ed0cb457c3bb209576f542
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dc9403097be52d57a5c9c35efa9be79d166a78af