Attacker Value
Unknown
(0 users assessed)
Exploitability
Unknown
(0 users assessed)
User Interaction
None
Privileges Required
Low
Attack Vector
Local
0

CVE-2024-43855

Disclosure Date: August 17, 2024
Add MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques that apply to this CVE.

Description

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

md: fix deadlock between mddev_suspend and flush bio

Deadlock occurs when mddev is being suspended while some flush bio is in
progress. It is a complex issue.

T1. the first flush is at the ending stage, it clears ‘mddev->flush_bio’

and tries to submit data, but is blocked because mddev is suspended
by T4.

T2. the second flush sets ‘mddev->flush_bio’, and attempts to queue

md_submit_flush_data(), which is already running (T1) and won't
execute again if on the same CPU as T1.

T3. the third flush inc active_io and tries to flush, but is blocked because

'mddev->flush_bio' is not NULL (set by T2).

T4. mddev_suspend() is called and waits for active_io dec to 0 which is inc

by T3.

T1 T2 T3 T4
(flush 1) (flush 2) (third 3) (suspend)
md_submit_flush_data
mddev->flush_bio = NULL;
.
. md_flush_request
. mddev->flush_bio = bio
. queue submit_flushes
. .
. . md_handle_request
. . active_io + 1
. . md_flush_request
. . wait !mddev->flush_bio
. .
. . mddev_suspend
. . wait !active_io
. .
. submit_flushes
. queue_work md_submit_flush_data
. //md_submit_flush_data is already running (T1)
.
md_handle_request

wait resume

The root issue is non-atomic inc/dec of active_io during flush process.
active_io is dec before md_submit_flush_data is queued, and inc soon
after md_submit_flush_data() run.
md_flush_request

active_io + 1
submit_flushes
  active_io - 1
  md_submit_flush_data
    md_handle_request
    active_io + 1
      make_request
    active_io - 1

If active_io is dec after md_handle_request() instead of within
submit_flushes(), make_request() can be called directly intead of
md_handle_request() in md_submit_flush_data(), and active_io will
only inc and dec once in the whole flush process. Deadlock will be
fixed.

Additionally, the only difference between fixing the issue and before is
that there is no return error handling of make_request(). But after
previous patch cleaned md_write_start(), make_requst() only return error
in raid5_make_request() by dm-raid, see commit 41425f96d7aa (“dm-raid456,
md/raid456: fix a deadlock for dm-raid456 while io concurrent with
reshape)”. Since dm always splits data and flush operation into two
separate io, io size of flush submitted by dm always is 0, make_request()
will not be called in md_submit_flush_data(). To prevent future
modifications from introducing issues, add WARN_ON to ensure
make_request() no error is returned in this context.

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CVSS V3 Severity and Metrics
Base Score:
5.5 Medium
Impact Score:
3.6
Exploitability Score:
1.8
Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack Vector (AV):
Local
Attack Complexity (AC):
Low
Privileges Required (PR):
Low
User Interaction (UI):
None
Scope (S):
Unchanged
Confidentiality (C):
None
Integrity (I):
None
Availability (A):
High

General Information

Vendors

  • linux

Products

  • linux kernel
Technical Analysis