CVE-2024-26957

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

s390/zcrypt: fix reference counting on zcrypt card objects

Tests with hot-plugging crytpo cards on KVM guests with debug kernel build revealed an use after free for the load field of the struct zcrypt_card. The reason was an incorrect reference handling of the zcrypt card object which could lead to a free of the zcrypt card object while it was still in use.

This is an example of the slab message:

kernel: 0x00000000885a7512-0x00000000885a7513 @offset=1298. First byte 0x68 instead of 0x6b
kernel: Allocated in zcrypt_card_alloc+0x36/0x70 [zcrypt] age=18046 cpu=3 pid=43
kernel:  kmalloc_trace+0x3f2/0x470
kernel:  zcrypt_card_alloc+0x36/0x70 [zcrypt]
kernel:  zcrypt_cex4_card_probe+0x26/0x380 [zcrypt_cex4]
kernel:  ap_device_probe+0x15c/0x290
kernel:  really_probe+0xd2/0x468
kernel:  driver_probe_device+0x40/0xf0
kernel:  __device_attach_driver+0xc0/0x140
kernel:  bus_for_each_drv+0x8c/0xd0
kernel:  __device_attach+0x114/0x198
kernel:  bus_probe_device+0xb4/0xc8
kernel:  device_add+0x4d2/0x6e0
kernel:  ap_scan_adapter+0x3d0/0x7c0
kernel:  ap_scan_bus+0x5a/0x3b0
kernel:  ap_scan_bus_wq_callback+0x40/0x60
kernel:  process_one_work+0x26e/0x620
kernel:  worker_thread+0x21c/0x440
kernel: Freed in zcrypt_card_put+0x54/0x80 [zcrypt] age=9024 cpu=3 pid=43
kernel:  kfree+0x37e/0x418
kernel:  zcrypt_card_put+0x54/0x80 [zcrypt]
kernel:  ap_device_remove+0x4c/0xe0
kernel:  device_release_driver_internal+0x1c4/0x270
kernel:  bus_remove_device+0x100/0x188
kernel:  device_del+0x164/0x3c0
kernel:  device_unregister+0x30/0x90
kernel:  ap_scan_adapter+0xc8/0x7c0
kernel:  ap_scan_bus+0x5a/0x3b0
kernel:  ap_scan_bus_wq_callback+0x40/0x60
kernel:  process_one_work+0x26e/0x620
kernel:  worker_thread+0x21c/0x440
kernel:  kthread+0x150/0x168
kernel:  __ret_from_fork+0x3c/0x58
kernel:  ret_from_fork+0xa/0x30
kernel: Slab 0x00000372022169c0 objects=20 used=18 fp=0x00000000885a7c88 flags=0x3ffff00000000a00(workingset|slab|node=0|zone=1|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
kernel: Object 0x00000000885a74b8 @offset=1208 fp=0x00000000885a7c88
kernel: Redzone  00000000885a74b0: bb bb bb bb bb bb bb bb                          ........
kernel: Object   00000000885a74b8: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b  kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
kernel: Object   00000000885a74c8: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b  kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
kernel: Object   00000000885a74d8: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b  kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
kernel: Object   00000000885a74e8: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b  kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
kernel: Object   00000000885a74f8: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b  kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
kernel: Object   00000000885a7508: 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 6b 68 4b 6b 6b 6b a5  kkkkkkkkkkhKkkk.
kernel: Redzone  00000000885a7518: bb bb bb bb bb bb bb bb                          ........
kernel: Padding  00000000885a756c: 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a 5a              ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
kernel: CPU: 0 PID: 387 Comm: systemd-udevd Not tainted 6.8.0-HF #2
kernel: Hardware name: IBM 3931 A01 704 (KVM/Linux)
kernel: Call Trace:
kernel:  [<00000000ca5ab5b8>] dump_stack_lvl+0x90/0x120
kernel:  [<00000000c99d78bc>] check_bytes_and_report+0x114/0x140
kernel:  [<00000000c99d53cc>] check_object+0x334/0x3f8
kernel:  [<00000000c99d820c>] alloc_debug_processing+0xc4/0x1f8
kernel:  [<00000000c99d852e>] get_partial_node.part.0+0x1ee/0x3e0
kernel:  [<00000000c99d94ec>] ___slab_alloc+0xaf4/0x13c8
kernel:  [<00000000c99d9e38>] __slab_alloc.constprop.0+0x78/0xb8
kernel:  [<00000000c99dc8dc>] __kmalloc+0x434/0x590
kernel:  [<00000000c9b4c0ce>] ext4_htree_store_dirent+0x4e/0x1c0
kernel:  [<00000000c9b908a2>] htree_dirblock_to_tree+0x17a/0x3f0
kernel: 

—truncated—

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/394b6d8bbdf9ddee6d5bcf3e1f3e9f23eecd6484
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50ed48c80fecbe17218afed4f8bed005c802976c
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6470078ab3d8f222115e11c4ec67351f3031b3dd
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e500849fa558879a1cde43f80c7c048c2437058
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9daddee03de3f231012014dab8ab2b277a116a55
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a55677878b93e9ebc31f66d0e2fb93be5e7836a6
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a64ab862e84e3e698cd351a87cdb504c7fc575ca
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7f6c3630eb3f103115ab0d7613588064f665d0d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/befb7f889594d23e1b475720cf93efd2f77df000