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

ext4: aovid use-after-free in ext4_ext_insert_extent()

As Ojaswin mentioned in Link, in ext4_ext_insert_extent(), if the path is reallocated in ext4_ext_create_new_leaf(), well use the stale path and cause UAF. Below is a sample trace with dummy values:

ext4_ext_insert_extent path = *ppath = 2000 ext4_ext_create_new_leaf(ppath) ext4_find_extent(ppath) path = *ppath = 2000 if (depth > path[0].p_maxdepth) kfree(path = 2000); *ppath = path = NULL; path = kcalloc() = 3000 ppath = 3000; return path; / here path is still 2000, UAF! */ eh = path[depth].p_hdr

================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ext4_ext_insert_extent+0x26d4/0x3330 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881027bf7d0 by task kworker/u36:1/179 CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 179 Comm: kworker/u6:1 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc2-dirty #866 Call Trace: ext4_ext_insert_extent+0x26d4/0x3330 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0xe22/0x2d40 ext4_map_blocks+0x71e/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x1290/0x2800 […]

Allocated by task 179: ext4_find_extent+0x81c/0x1f70 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0x146/0x2d40 ext4_map_blocks+0x71e/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x1290/0x2800 ext4_writepages+0x26d/0x4e0 do_writepages+0x175/0x700 […]

Freed by task 179: kfree+0xcb/0x240 ext4_find_extent+0x7c0/0x1f70 ext4_ext_insert_extent+0xa26/0x3330 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0xe22/0x2d40 ext4_map_blocks+0x71e/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x1290/0x2800 ext4_writepages+0x26d/0x4e0 do_writepages+0x175/0x700 […]

So use *ppath to update the path to avoid the above problem.

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/51db04892a993cace63415be99848970a0f15ef2
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e811066c5ab709b070659197dccfb80ab650ddd
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8162ee5d94b8c0351be0a9321be134872a7654a1
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/975ca06f3fd154c5f7742083e7b2574c57d1c0c3
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9df59009dfc6d9fc1bd9ddf6c5ab6e56d6ed887a
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a164f3a432aae62ca23d03e6d926b122ee5b860d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/beb7b66fb489041c50c6473100b383f7a51648fc
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfed082ce4b1ce6349b05c09a0fa4f3da35ecb1b
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e17ebe4fdd7665c93ae9459ba40fcdfb76769ac1