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

tcp/dccp: Don't use timer_pending() in reqsk_queue_unlink().

Martin KaFai Lau reported use-after-free [0] in reqsk_timer_handler().

  """
  We are seeing a use-after-free from a bpf prog attached to
  trace_tcp_retransmit_synack. The program passes the req->sk to the
  bpf_sk_storage_get_tracing kernel helper which does check for null
  before using it.
  """

The commit 83fccfc3940c ("inet: fix potential deadlock in
reqsk_queue_unlink()") added timer_pending() in reqsk_queue_unlink() not
to call del_timer_sync() from reqsk_timer_handler(), but it introduced a
small race window.

Before the timer is called, expire_timers() calls detach_timer(timer, true)
to clear timer->entry.pprev and marks it as not pending.

If reqsk_queue_unlink() checks timer_pending() just after expire_timers()
calls detach_timer(), TCP will miss del_timer_sync(); the reqsk timer will
continue running and send multiple SYN+ACKs until it expires.

The reported UAF could happen if req->sk is close()d earlier than the timer
expiration, which is 63s by default.

The scenario would be

  1. inet_csk_complete_hashdance() calls inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop(),
     but del_timer_sync() is missed

  2. reqsk timer is executed and scheduled again

  3. req->sk is accept()ed and reqsk_put() decrements rsk_refcnt, but
     reqsk timer still has another one, and inet_csk_accept() does not
     clear req->sk for non-TFO sockets

  4. sk is close()d

  5. reqsk timer is executed again, and BPF touches req->sk

Let's not use timer_pending() by passing the caller context to
__inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop().

Note that reqsk timer is pinned, so the issue does not happen in most
use cases. [1]

[0]
BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in bpf_sk_storage_get_tracing+0x2e/0x1b0

Use-after-free read at 0x00000000a891fb3a (in kfence-#1):
bpf_sk_storage_get_tracing+0x2e/0x1b0
bpf_prog_5ea3e95db6da0438_tcp_retransmit_synack+0x1d20/0x1dda
bpf_trace_run2+0x4c/0xc0
tcp_rtx_synack+0xf9/0x100
reqsk_timer_handler+0xda/0x3d0
run_timer_softirq+0x292/0x8a0
irq_exit_rcu+0xf5/0x320
sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6d/0x80
asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x16/0x20
intel_idle_irq+0x5a/0xa0
cpuidle_enter_state+0x94/0x273
cpu_startup_entry+0x15e/0x260
start_secondary+0x8a/0x90
secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xfa/0xfb

kfence-#1: 0x00000000a72cc7b6-0x00000000d97616d9, size=2376, cache=TCPv6

allocated by task 0 on cpu 9 at 260507.901592s:
sk_prot_alloc+0x35/0x140
sk_clone_lock+0x1f/0x3f0
inet_csk_clone_lock+0x15/0x160
tcp_create_openreq_child+0x1f/0x410
tcp_v6_syn_recv_sock+0x1da/0x700
tcp_check_req+0x1fb/0x510
tcp_v6_rcv+0x98b/0x1420
ipv6_list_rcv+0x2258/0x26e0
napi_complete_done+0x5b1/0x2990
mlx5e_napi_poll+0x2ae/0x8d0
net_rx_action+0x13e/0x590
irq_exit_rcu+0xf5/0x320
common_interrupt+0x80/0x90
asm_common_interrupt+0x22/0x40
cpuidle_enter_state+0xfb/0x273
cpu_startup_entry+0x15e/0x260
start_secondary+0x8a/0x90
secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xfa/0xfb

freed by task 0 on cpu 9 at 260507.927527s:
rcu_core_si+0x4ff/0xf10
irq_exit_rcu+0xf5/0x320
sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6d/0x80
asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x16/0x20
cpuidle_enter_state+0xfb/0x273
cpu_startup_entry+0x15e/0x260
start_secondary+0x8a/0x90
secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xfa/0xfb

kernel.org https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5071beb59ee416e8ab456ac8647a4dabcda823b1 [No types assigned]

kernel.org https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51e34db64f4e43c7b055ccf881b7f3e0c31bb26d [No types assigned]

kernel.org https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8459d61fbf24967839a70235165673148c7c7f17 [No types assigned]

kernel.org https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/997ae8da14f1639ce6fb66a063dab54031cd61b3 [No types assigned]

kernel.org https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e8c526f2bdf1845bedaf6a478816a3d06fa78b8f [No types assigned]