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

ext4: fix race condition between ext4_write and ext4_convert_inline_data

Hulk Robot reported a BUG_ON:

EXT4-fs error (device loop3): ext4_mb_generate_buddy:805: group 0, block bitmap and bg descriptor inconsistent: 25 vs 31513 free clusters kernel BUG at fs/ext4/ext4_jbd2.c:53! invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN PTI CPU: 0 PID: 25371 Comm: syz-executor.3 Not tainted 5.10.0+ #1 RIP: 0010:ext4_put_nojournal fs/ext4/ext4_jbd2.c:53 [inline] RIP: 0010:__ext4_journal_stop+0x10e/0x110 fs/ext4/ext4_jbd2.c:116 […] Call Trace: ext4_write_inline_data_end+0x59a/0x730 fs/ext4/inline.c:795 generic_perform_write+0x279/0x3c0 mm/filemap.c:3344 ext4_buffered_write_iter+0x2e3/0x3d0 fs/ext4/file.c:270 ext4_file_write_iter+0x30a/0x11c0 fs/ext4/file.c:520 do_iter_readv_writev+0x339/0x3c0 fs/read_write.c:732 do_iter_write+0x107/0x430 fs/read_write.c:861 vfs_writev fs/read_write.c:934 [inline] do_pwritev+0x1e5/0x380 fs/read_write.c:1031 […]

Above issue may happen as follows: cpu1 cpu2 | do_pwritev vfs_writev do_iter_write ext4_file_write_iter ext4_buffered_write_iter generic_perform_write ext4_da_write_begin vfs_fallocate ext4_fallocate ext4_convert_inline_data ext4_convert_inline_data_nolock ext4_destroy_inline_data_nolock clear EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA ext4_map_blocks ext4_ext_map_blocks ext4_mb_new_blocks ext4_mb_regular_allocator ext4_mb_good_group_nolock ext4_mb_init_group ext4_mb_init_cache ext4_mb_generate_buddy –> error ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA) ext4_restore_inline_data set EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA ext4_block_write_begin ext4_da_write_end ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA) ext4_write_inline_data_end handle=NULL ext4_journal_stop(handle) __ext4_journal_stop ext4_put_nojournal(handle) ref_cnt = (unsigned long)handle BUG_ON(ref_cnt == 0) —> BUG_ON

The lock held by ext4_convert_inline_data is xattr_sem, but the lock held by generic_perform_write is i_rwsem. Therefore, the two locks can be concurrent.

To solve above issue, we add inode_lock() for ext4_convert_inline_data(). At the same time, move ext4_convert_inline_data() in front of ext4_punch_hole(), remove similar handling from ext4_punch_hole().

Weakness

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, and the code sequence requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence that is operating concurrently.

Affected Software

Extended Description

This can have security implications when the expected synchronization is in security-critical code, such as recording whether a user is authenticated or modifying important state information that should not be influenced by an outsider. A race condition occurs within concurrent environments, and is effectively a property of a code sequence. Depending on the context, a code sequence may be in the form of a function call, a small number of instructions, a series of program invocations, etc. A race condition violates these properties, which are closely related:

A race condition exists when an “interfering code sequence” can still access the shared resource, violating exclusivity. Programmers may assume that certain code sequences execute too quickly to be affected by an interfering code sequence; when they are not, this violates atomicity. For example, the single “x++” statement may appear atomic at the code layer, but it is actually non-atomic at the instruction layer, since it involves a read (the original value of x), followed by a computation (x+1), followed by a write (save the result to x). The interfering code sequence could be “trusted” or “untrusted.” A trusted interfering code sequence occurs within the product; it cannot be modified by the attacker, and it can only be invoked indirectly. An untrusted interfering code sequence can be authored directly by the attacker, and typically it is external to the vulnerable product.

Potential Mitigations

• Minimize the usage of shared resources in order to remove as much complexity as possible from the control flow and to reduce the likelihood of unexpected conditions occurring.
• Additionally, this will minimize the amount of synchronization necessary and may even help to reduce the likelihood of a denial of service where an attacker may be able to repeatedly trigger a critical section (CWE-400).

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/26.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/29.html

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14602353b350950b551eccc6b46411aa3b12ffe2
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18881d7e517169193d9ef6c89c7f322e3e164277
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/725e00cb7039eae291890f1bb19bc867176745f6
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/91f90b571f1a23f5b8a9c2b68a9aa5d6981a3c3d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccc6639f831bee91aa8b41c8a1cdd020ecfb9f32
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f87c7a4b084afc13190cbb263538e444cb2b392a