In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: brcmfmac: Fix use-after-free bug in brcmf_cfg80211_detach This is the candidate patch of CVE-2023-47233 : https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-47233 In brcm80211 driver,it starts with the following invoking chain to start init a timeout worker: ->brcmf_usb_probe ->brcmf_usb_probe_cb ->brcmf_attach ->brcmf_bus_started ->brcmf_cfg80211_attach ->wl_init_priv ->brcmf_init_escan ->INIT_WORK(&cfg->escan_timeout_work, brcmf_cfg80211_escan_timeout_worker); If we disconnect the USB by hotplug, it will call brcmf_usb_disconnect to make cleanup. The invoking chain is : brcmf_usb_disconnect ->brcmf_usb_disconnect_cb ->brcmf_detach ->brcmf_cfg80211_detach ->kfree(cfg); While the timeout woker may still be running. This will cause a use-after-free bug on cfg in brcmf_cfg80211_escan_timeout_worker. Fix it by deleting the timer and canceling the worker in brcmf_cfg80211_detach. [arend.vanspriel@broadcom.com: keep timer delete as is and cancel work just before free]
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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.