// For flags

CVE-2024-26960

mm: swap: fix race between free_swap_and_cache() and swapoff()

Severity Score

5.5
*CVSS v3.1

Exploit Likelihood

*EPSS

Affected Versions

*CPE

Public Exploits

0
*Multiple Sources

Exploited in Wild

-
*KEV

Decision

Track
*SSVC
Descriptions

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

mm: swap: fix race between free_swap_and_cache() and swapoff()

There was previously a theoretical window where swapoff() could run and
teardown a swap_info_struct while a call to free_swap_and_cache() was
running in another thread. This could cause, amongst other bad
possibilities, swap_page_trans_huge_swapped() (called by
free_swap_and_cache()) to access the freed memory for swap_map.

This is a theoretical problem and I haven't been able to provoke it from a
test case. But there has been agreement based on code review that this is
possible (see link below).

Fix it by using get_swap_device()/put_swap_device(), which will stall
swapoff(). There was an extra check in _swap_info_get() to confirm that
the swap entry was not free. This isn't present in get_swap_device()
because it doesn't make sense in general due to the race between getting
the reference and swapoff. So I've added an equivalent check directly in
free_swap_and_cache().

Details of how to provoke one possible issue (thanks to David Hildenbrand
for deriving this):

--8<-----

__swap_entry_free() might be the last user and result in
"count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE".

swapoff->try_to_unuse() will stop as soon as soon as si->inuse_pages==0.

So the question is: could someone reclaim the folio and turn
si->inuse_pages==0, before we completed swap_page_trans_huge_swapped().

Imagine the following: 2 MiB folio in the swapcache. Only 2 subpages are
still references by swap entries.

Process 1 still references subpage 0 via swap entry.
Process 2 still references subpage 1 via swap entry.

Process 1 quits. Calls free_swap_and_cache().
-> count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE
[then, preempted in the hypervisor etc.]

Process 2 quits. Calls free_swap_and_cache().
-> count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE

Process 2 goes ahead, passes swap_page_trans_huge_swapped(), and calls
__try_to_reclaim_swap().

__try_to_reclaim_swap()->folio_free_swap()->delete_from_swap_cache()->
put_swap_folio()->free_swap_slot()->swapcache_free_entries()->
swap_entry_free()->swap_range_free()->
...
WRITE_ONCE(si->inuse_pages, si->inuse_pages - nr_entries);

What stops swapoff to succeed after process 2 reclaimed the swap cache
but before process1 finished its call to swap_page_trans_huge_swapped()?

--8<-----

En el kernel de Linux, se ha resuelto la siguiente vulnerabilidad: mm: swap: corrige la ejecución entre free_swap_and_cache() y swapoff() Anteriormente existía una ventana teórica donde swapoff() podía ejecutar y desmantelar un swap_info_struct mientras se realizaba una llamada a free_swap_and_cache(). corriendo en otro hilo. Esto podría causar, entre otras malas posibilidades, que swap_page_trans_huge_swapped() (llamado por free_swap_and_cache()) acceda a la memoria liberada para swap_map. Este es un problema teórico y no he podido provocarlo a partir de un caso de prueba. Pero ha habido un acuerdo basado en la revisión del código de que esto es posible (ver enlace a continuación). Solucionarlo usando get_swap_device()/put_swap_device(), lo que detendrá swapoff(). Hubo una verificación adicional en _swap_info_get() para confirmar que la entrada de intercambio no era gratuita. Esto no está presente en get_swap_device() porque en general no tiene sentido debido a la ejecución entre obtener la referencia y el intercambio. Así que agregué una verificación equivalente directamente en free_swap_and_cache(). Detalles de cómo provocar un posible problema (gracias a David Hildenbrand por derivar esto): --8&lt;----- __swap_entry_free() podría ser el último usuario y dar como resultado "count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE". swapoff-&gt;try_to_unuse() se detendrá tan pronto como si-&gt;inuse_pages==0. Entonces la pregunta es: ¿alguien podría reclamar la publicación y activar si-&gt;inuse_pages==0, antes de que completemos swap_page_trans_huge_swapped()? Imagine lo siguiente: folio de 2 MiB en el swapcache. Sólo 2 subpáginas siguen siendo referencias mediante entradas de intercambio. El proceso 1 todavía hace referencia a la subpágina 0 mediante la entrada de intercambio. El proceso 2 todavía hace referencia a la subpágina 1 mediante la entrada de intercambio. El proceso 1 se cierra. Llama a free_swap_and_cache(). -&gt; count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE [luego, adelantado en el hipervisor, etc.] El proceso 2 se cierra. Llama a free_swap_and_cache(). -&gt; count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE El proceso 2 continúa, pasa swap_page_trans_huge_swapped() y llama a __try_to_reclaim_swap(). __try_to_reclaim_swap()-&gt;folio_free_swap()-&gt;delete_from_swap_cache()-&gt; put_swap_folio()-&gt;free_swap_slot()-&gt;swapcache_free_entries()-&gt; swap_entry_free()-&gt;swap_range_free()-&gt; ... WRITE_ONCE(si-&gt;inuse_pages, si-&gt;inuse_pages - nr_entries); ¿Qué impide que el intercambio tenga éxito después de que el proceso 2 recuperó el caché de intercambio pero antes de que el proceso 1 terminara su llamada a swap_page_trans_huge_swapped()? --8&lt;-----

*Credits: N/A
CVSS Scores
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
* Common Vulnerability Scoring System
SSVC
  • Decision:Track
Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Tech. Impact
Partial
* Organization's Worst-case Scenario
Timeline
  • 2024-02-19 CVE Reserved
  • 2024-05-01 CVE Published
  • 2024-05-01 EPSS Updated
  • 2024-12-19 CVE Updated
  • ---------- Exploited in Wild
  • ---------- KEV Due Date
  • ---------- First Exploit
CWE
  • CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
CAPEC
Affected Vendors, Products, and Versions
Vendor Product Version Other Status
Vendor Product Version Other Status <-- --> Vendor Product Version Other Status
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 5.10.215
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 5.10.215"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 5.15.154
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 5.15.154"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 6.1.84
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 6.1.84"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 6.6.24
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 6.6.24"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 6.7.12
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 6.7.12"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 6.8.3
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 6.8.3"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 4.11 < 6.9
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 4.11 < 6.9"
en
Affected