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Groups > linux.kernel > #1698146

Possible race in hysdn.ko

From Anton Volkov <avolkov@ispras.ru>
Newsgroups linux.kernel
Subject Possible race in hysdn.ko
Date 2017-07-27 18:20 +0200
Message-ID <u7TG3-8lQ-37@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

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Hello.

While searching for races in the Linux kernel I've come across
"drivers/isdn/hysdn/hysdn.ko" module. Here is a question that I came up
with while analysing results. Lines are given using the info from Linux
v4.12.

In hysdn_proclog.c file in put_log_buffer function a non-standard type
of synchronization is employed. It uses pd->del_lock as some kind of
semaphore (hysdn_proclog.c: lines 129 and 143). Consider the following
case:

Thread 1:                    Thread 2:
hysdn_log_write
-> hysdn_add_log
     -> put_log_buffer
          spin_lock()          hysdn_conf_open
          i = pd->del_lock++   -> hysdn_add_log
          spin_unlock()           -> put_log_buffer
          if (!i) <delete-loop>        spin_lock()
          pd->del_lock--               i = pd->del_lock++
                                       spin_unlock()
                                       if (!i) <delete-loop>
                                       pd->del_lock--

<delete-loop> - the loop that deletes unused buffer entries
(hysdn_proclog.c: lines 134-142).
pd->del_lock-- is not an atomic operation and is executed without any
locks. Thus it may interfere in the increment process of pd->del_lock in
another thread. There may be cases that lead to the inability of any
thread going through the <delete-loop>.

I see several possible solutions to this problem:
1) move the <delete-loop> under the spin_lock and delete
pd->del_lock synchronization;
2) wrap pd->del_lock-- with spin_lock protection.

What do you think should be done about it?

Thank you for your time.

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Thread

Possible race in hysdn.ko Anton Volkov <avolkov@ispras.ru> - 2017-07-27 18:20 +0200
  Re: Possible race in hysdn.ko isdn@linux-pingi.de - 2017-07-28 06:50 +0200
    [PATCH] hysdn: fix to a race condition in put_log_buffer Anton Volkov <avolkov@ispras.ru> - 2017-07-28 17:00 +0200

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