CVE-2022-50187

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

ath11k: fix netdev open race

Make sure to allocate resources needed before registering the device.

This specifically avoids having a racing open() trigger a BUG_ON() in mod_timer() when ath11k_mac_op_start() is called before the mon_reap_timer as been set up.

I did not see this issue with next-20220310, but I hit it on every probe with next-20220511. Perhaps some timing changed in between.

Heres the backtrace:

[ 51.346947] kernel BUG at kernel/time/timer.c:990! [ 51.346958] Internal error: Oops - BUG: 0 [#1] PREEMPT SMP … [ 51.578225] Call trace: [ 51.583293] __mod_timer+0x298/0x390 [ 51.589518] mod_timer+0x14/0x20 [ 51.595368] ath11k_mac_op_start+0x41c/0x4a0 [ath11k] [ 51.603165] drv_start+0x38/0x60 [mac80211] [ 51.610110] ieee80211_do_open+0x29c/0x7d0 [mac80211] [ 51.617945] ieee80211_open+0x60/0xb0 [mac80211] [ 51.625311] __dev_open+0x100/0x1c0 [ 51.631420] __dev_change_flags+0x194/0x210 [ 51.638214] dev_change_flags+0x24/0x70 [ 51.644646] do_setlink+0x228/0xdb0 [ 51.650723] __rtnl_newlink+0x460/0x830 [ 51.657162] rtnl_newlink+0x4c/0x80 [ 51.663229] rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x124/0x390 [ 51.669917] netlink_rcv_skb+0x58/0x130 [ 51.676314] rtnetlink_rcv+0x18/0x30 [ 51.682460] netlink_unicast+0x250/0x310 [ 51.688960] netlink_sendmsg+0x19c/0x3e0 [ 51.695458] ____sys_sendmsg+0x220/0x290 [ 51.701938] ___sys_sendmsg+0x7c/0xc0 [ 51.708148] __sys_sendmsg+0x68/0xd0 [ 51.714254] __arm64_sys_sendmsg+0x28/0x40 [ 51.720900] invoke_syscall+0x48/0x120

Tested-on: WCN6855 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HSP.1.1-03125-QCAHSPSWPL_V1_V2_SILICONZ_LITE-3

Weakness

The product contains a concurrent code sequence that 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 operating concurrently.

Affected Software

Extended Description

A race condition occurs within concurrent environments, and it 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. 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/307ce58270b3b50ca21cfcc910568429b06803f7
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2c45f8c3d18269e641f0c7da2dde47ef8414034
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/abb7dc8fbb27c15dcc927df56190f3c5ede58bd5
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4ba1ff87b17e81686ada8f429300876f55f95ad
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eaff3946a86fc63280a30158a4ae1e141449817c