In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ceph: prevent use-after-free in encode_cap_msg() In fs/ceph/caps.c, in encode_cap_msg(), "use after free" error was caught by KASAN at this line - 'ceph_buffer_get(arg->xattr_buf);'. This implies before the refcount could be increment here, it was freed. In same file, in "handle_cap_grant()" refcount is decremented by this line - 'ceph_buffer_put(ci->i_xattrs.blob);'. It appears that a race occurred and resource was freed by the latter line before the former line could increment it. encode_cap_msg() is called by __send_cap() and __send_cap() is called by ceph_check_caps() after calling __prep_cap(). __prep_cap() is where arg->xattr_buf is assigned to ci->i_xattrs.blob. This is the spot where the refcount must be increased to prevent "use after free" error.
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.