Linux kernel mirror (for testing) git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
kernel os linux

net: netpoll: fix incorrect refcount handling causing incorrect cleanup

commit efa95b01da18 ("netpoll: fix use after free") incorrectly
ignored the refcount and prematurely set dev->npinfo to NULL during
netpoll cleanup, leading to improper behavior and memory leaks.

Scenario causing lack of proper cleanup:

1) A netpoll is associated with a NIC (e.g., eth0) and netdev->npinfo is
allocated, and refcnt = 1
- Keep in mind that npinfo is shared among all netpoll instances. In
this case, there is just one.

2) Another netpoll is also associated with the same NIC and
npinfo->refcnt += 1.
- Now dev->npinfo->refcnt = 2;
- There is just one npinfo associated to the netdev.

3) When the first netpolls goes to clean up:
- The first cleanup succeeds and clears np->dev->npinfo, ignoring
refcnt.
- It basically calls `RCU_INIT_POINTER(np->dev->npinfo, NULL);`
- Set dev->npinfo = NULL, without proper cleanup
- No ->ndo_netpoll_cleanup() is either called

4) Now the second target tries to clean up
- The second cleanup fails because np->dev->npinfo is already NULL.
* In this case, ops->ndo_netpoll_cleanup() was never called, and
the skb pool is not cleaned as well (for the second netpoll
instance)
- This leaks npinfo and skbpool skbs, which is clearly reported by
kmemleak.

Revert commit efa95b01da18 ("netpoll: fix use after free") and adds
clarifying comments emphasizing that npinfo cleanup should only happen
once the refcount reaches zero, ensuring stable and correct netpoll
behavior.

Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.17.x
Cc: Jay Vosburgh <jv@jvosburgh.net>
Fixes: efa95b01da18 ("netpoll: fix use after free")
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20251107-netconsole_torture-v10-1-749227b55f63@debian.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>

authored by

Breno Leitao and committed by
Jakub Kicinski
49c8d2c1 e6ca8f53

+5 -2
+5 -2
net/core/netpoll.c
··· 811 811 if (!npinfo) 812 812 return; 813 813 814 + /* At this point, there is a single npinfo instance per netdevice, and 815 + * its refcnt tracks how many netpoll structures are linked to it. We 816 + * only perform npinfo cleanup when the refcnt decrements to zero. 817 + */ 814 818 if (refcount_dec_and_test(&npinfo->refcnt)) { 815 819 const struct net_device_ops *ops; 816 820 ··· 824 820 825 821 RCU_INIT_POINTER(np->dev->npinfo, NULL); 826 822 call_rcu(&npinfo->rcu, rcu_cleanup_netpoll_info); 827 - } else 828 - RCU_INIT_POINTER(np->dev->npinfo, NULL); 823 + } 829 824 830 825 skb_pool_flush(np); 831 826 }