In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: greybus: Fix use-after-free bug in gb_interface_release due to race condition. In gb_interface_create, &intf->mode_switch_completion is bound with gb_interface_mode_switch_work. Then it will be started by gb_interface_request_mode_switch. Here is the relevant code. if (!queue_work(system_long_wq, &intf->mode_switch_work)) { ... } If we call gb_interface_release to make cleanup, there may be an unfinished work. This function will call kfree to free the object "intf". However, if gb_interface_mode_switch_work is scheduled to run after kfree, it may cause use-after-free error as gb_interface_mode_switch_work will use the object "intf". The possible execution flow that may lead to the issue is as follows: CPU0 CPU1 | gb_interface_create | gb_interface_request_mode_switch gb_interface_release | kfree(intf) (free) | | gb_interface_mode_switch_work | mutex_lock(&intf->mutex) (use) Fix it by canceling the work before kfree.
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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.