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

ext4: fix slab-use-after-free in ext4_split_extent_at()

We hit the following use-after-free:

================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ext4_split_extent_at+0xba8/0xcc0 Read of size 2 at addr ffff88810548ed08 by task kworker/u20:0/40 CPU: 0 PID: 40 Comm: kworker/u20:0 Not tainted 6.9.0-dirty #724 Call Trace: kasan_report+0x93/0xc0 ext4_split_extent_at+0xba8/0xcc0 ext4_split_extent.isra.0+0x18f/0x500 ext4_split_convert_extents+0x275/0x750 ext4_ext_handle_unwritten_extents+0x73e/0x1580 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0xe20/0x2dc0 ext4_map_blocks+0x724/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x12d6/0x2a70 […]

Allocated by task 40: __kmalloc_noprof+0x1ac/0x480 ext4_find_extent+0xf3b/0x1e70 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0x188/0x2dc0 ext4_map_blocks+0x724/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x12d6/0x2a70 […]

Freed by task 40: kfree+0xf1/0x2b0 ext4_find_extent+0xa71/0x1e70 ext4_ext_insert_extent+0xa22/0x3260 ext4_split_extent_at+0x3ef/0xcc0 ext4_split_extent.isra.0+0x18f/0x500 ext4_split_convert_extents+0x275/0x750 ext4_ext_handle_unwritten_extents+0x73e/0x1580 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0xe20/0x2dc0 ext4_map_blocks+0x724/0x1700 ext4_do_writepages+0x12d6/0x2a70 […]

The flow of issue triggering is as follows:

ext4_split_extent_at path = *ppath ext4_ext_insert_extent(ppath) ext4_ext_create_new_leaf(ppath) ext4_find_extent(orig_path) path = *orig_path read_extent_tree_block // return -ENOMEM or -EIO ext4_free_ext_path(path) kfree(path) *orig_path = NULL a. If err is -ENOMEM: ext4_ext_dirty(path + path->p_depth) // path use-after-free !!! b. If err is -EIO and we have EXT_DEBUG defined: ext4_ext_show_leaf(path) eh = path[depth].p_hdr // path also use-after-free !!!

So when trying to zeroout or fix the extent length, call ext4_find_extent() to update the path.

In addition we use *ppath directly as an ext4_ext_show_leaf() input to avoid possible use-after-free when EXT_DEBUG is defined, and to avoid unnecessary path updates.

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/393a46f60ea4f249dc9d496d4eb2d542f5e11ade
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/448100a29395b0c8b4c42967155849fe0fbe808f
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d949ea75bb529ea6342e83465938a3b0ac51238
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8fe117790b37c84c651e2bad9efc0e7fda73c0e3
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/915ac3630488af0ca194dc63b86d99802b4f6e18
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a5401d4c3e2a3d25643c567d26e6de327774a2c9
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c26ab35702f8cd0cdc78f96aa5856bfb77be798f
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cafcc1bd62934547c76abf46c6d0d54f135006fe
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e52f933598b781d291b9297e39c463536da0e185