CVE-2024-50207

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

ring-buffer: Fix reader locking when changing the sub buffer order

The function ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set() updates each ring_buffer_per_cpu and installs new sub buffers that match the requested page order. This operation may be invoked concurrently with readers that rely on some of the modified data, such as the head bit (RB_PAGE_HEAD), or the ring_buffer_per_cpu.pages and reader_page pointers. However, no exclusive access is acquired by ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set(). Modifying the mentioned data while a reader also operates on them can then result in incorrect memory access and various crashes.

Fix the problem by taking the reader_lock when updating a specific ring_buffer_per_cpu in ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set().

Weakness

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock on a resource, leading to unexpected resource state changes and behaviors.

Affected Software

Extended Description

Locking is a type of synchronization behavior that ensures that multiple independently-operating processes or threads do not interfere with each other when accessing the same resource. All processes/threads are expected to follow the same steps for locking. If these steps are not followed precisely - or if no locking is done at all - then another process/thread could modify the shared resource in a way that is not visible or predictable to the original process. This can lead to data or memory corruption, denial of service, etc.

Potential Mitigations

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/25.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/26.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/27.html

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09661f75e75cb6c1d2d8326a70c311d46729235f
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a569290525a05162d5dd26d9845591eaf46e5802