CVE-2023-53622

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

gfs2: Fix possible data races in gfs2_show_options()

Some fields such as gt_logd_secs of the struct gfs2_tune are accessed without holding the lock gt_spin in gfs2_show_options():

val = sdp->sd_tune.gt_logd_secs; if (val != 30) seq_printf(s, ,commit=%d, val);

And thus can cause data races when gfs2_show_options() and other functions such as gfs2_reconfigure() are concurrently executed:

spin_lock(&gt->gt_spin); gt->gt_logd_secs = newargs->ar_commit;

To fix these possible data races, the lock sdp->sd_tune.gt_spin is acquired before accessing the fields of gfs2_tune and released after these accesses.

Further changes by Andreas:

• Dont hold the spin lock over the seq_printf operations.

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/235a5ae73cea29109a3e06f100493f17857e6a93
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/42077d4de49e4d9c773c97c42d5383b4899a8f9d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6fa0a72cbbe45db4ed967a51f9e6f4e3afe61d20
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c5b2649f6a37d45bfb7abf34c9b71d08677139f
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e5bbeb7eb813bb2568e1d5d02587df943272e57
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/85e888150075cb221270b64bf772341fc6bd11d9
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4f71523ed2123d63b431cc0cea4e9f363a0f054
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4a7ab57effbed42624842f2ab2a49b177c21a47