If kthread_is_per_cpu runs concurrently with free_kthread_struct the kthread_struct that was just freed may be read from.

This bug was introduced by commit 40966e316f86 ("kthread: Ensure struct kthread is present for all kthreads"). When kthread_struct started to be allocated for all tasks that have PF_KTHREAD set. This in turn required the kthread_struct to be freed in kernel_execve and violated the assumption that kthread_struct will have the same lifetime as the task.

Looking a bit deeper this only applies to callers of kernel_execve which is just the init process and the user mode helper processes. These processes really don't want to be kernel threads but are for historical reasons. Mostly that copy_thread does not know how to take a kernel mode function to the process with for processes without PF_KTHREAD or PF_IO_WORKER set.

Solve this by not allocating kthread_struct for the init process and the user mode helper processes.

This is done by adding a kthread member to struct kernel_clone_args. Setting kthread in fork_idle and kernel_thread. Adding user_mode_thread that works like kernel_thread except it does not set kthread. In fork only allocating the kthread_struct if .kthread is set.

I have looked at kernel/kthread.c and since commit 40966e316f86 ("kthread: Ensure struct kthread is present for all kthreads") there have been no assumptions added that to_kthread or __to_kthread will not return NULL.

There are a few callers of to_kthread or __to_kthread that assume a non-NULL struct kthread pointer will be returned. These functions are kthread_data(), kthread_parmme(), kthread_exit(), kthread(), kthread_park(), kthread_unpark(), kthread_stop(). All of those functions can reasonably expected to be called when it is know that a task is a kthread so that assumption seems reasonable.

Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org Fixes: 40966e316f86 ("kthread: Ensure struct kthread is present for all kthreads") Reported-by: Максим Кутявин maximkabox13@gmail.com Signed-off-by: "Eric W. Biederman" ebiederm@xmission.com --- fs/exec.c | 6 ++++-- include/linux/sched/task.h | 2 ++ init/main.c | 2 +- kernel/fork.c | 22 ++++++++++++++++++++-- kernel/umh.c | 6 +++--- 5 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/exec.c b/fs/exec.c index e3e55d5e0be1..75eb6e0ee7b2 100644 --- a/fs/exec.c +++ b/fs/exec.c @@ -1308,8 +1308,6 @@ int begin_new_exec(struct linux_binprm * bprm) if (retval) goto out_unlock;

- if (me->flags & PF_KTHREAD) - free_kthread_struct(me); me->flags &= ~(PF_RANDOMIZE | PF_FORKNOEXEC | PF_KTHREAD | PF_NOFREEZE | PF_NO_SETAFFINITY); flush_thread(); @@ -1955,6 +1953,10 @@ int kernel_execve(const char *kernel_filename, int fd = AT_FDCWD; int retval;

+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE((current->flags & PF_KTHREAD) && + (current->worker_private))) + return -EINVAL; + filename = getname_kernel(kernel_filename); if (IS_ERR(filename)) return PTR_ERR(filename); diff --git a/include/linux/sched/task.h b/include/linux/sched/task.h index 719c9a6cac8d..4492266935dd 100644 --- a/include/linux/sched/task.h +++ b/include/linux/sched/task.h @@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ struct kernel_clone_args { size_t set_tid_size; int cgroup; int io_thread; + int kthread; struct cgroup *cgrp; struct css_set *cset; }; @@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ struct task_struct *create_io_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, int node); struct task_struct *fork_idle(int); struct mm_struct *copy_init_mm(void); extern pid_t kernel_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, unsigned long flags); +extern pid_t user_mode_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, unsigned long flags); extern long kernel_wait4(pid_t, int __user *, int, struct rusage *); int kernel_wait(pid_t pid, int *stat);

diff --git a/init/main.c b/init/main.c index 98182c3c2c4b..39baac0211c6 100644 --- a/init/main.c +++ b/init/main.c @@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ noinline void __ref rest_init(void) * the init task will end up wanting to create kthreads, which, if * we schedule it before we create kthreadd, will OOPS. */ - pid = kernel_thread(kernel_init, NULL, CLONE_FS); + pid = user_mode_thread(kernel_init, NULL, CLONE_FS); /* * Pin init on the boot CPU. Task migration is not properly working * until sched_init_smp() has been run. It will set the allowed diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c index 9796897560ab..27c5203750b4 100644 --- a/kernel/fork.c +++ b/kernel/fork.c @@ -2157,7 +2157,7 @@ static __latent_entropy struct task_struct *copy_process( p->io_context = NULL; audit_set_context(p, NULL); cgroup_fork(p); - if (p->flags & PF_KTHREAD) { + if (args->kthread) { if (!set_kthread_struct(p)) goto bad_fork_cleanup_delayacct; } @@ -2548,7 +2548,8 @@ struct task_struct * __init fork_idle(int cpu) { struct task_struct *task; struct kernel_clone_args args = { - .flags = CLONE_VM, + .flags = CLONE_VM, + .kthread = 1, };

task = copy_process(&init_struct_pid, 0, cpu_to_node(cpu), &args); @@ -2679,6 +2680,23 @@ pid_t kernel_clone(struct kernel_clone_args *args) * Create a kernel thread. */ pid_t kernel_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, unsigned long flags) +{ + struct kernel_clone_args args = { + .flags = ((lower_32_bits(flags) | CLONE_VM | + CLONE_UNTRACED) & ~CSIGNAL), + .exit_signal = (lower_32_bits(flags) & CSIGNAL), + .stack = (unsigned long)fn, + .stack_size = (unsigned long)arg, + .kthread = 1, + }; + + return kernel_clone(&args); +} + +/* + * Create a user mode thread. + */ +pid_t user_mode_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, unsigned long flags) { struct kernel_clone_args args = { .flags = ((lower_32_bits(flags) | CLONE_VM | diff --git a/kernel/umh.c b/kernel/umh.c index 36c123360ab8..b989736e8707 100644 --- a/kernel/umh.c +++ b/kernel/umh.c @@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ static void call_usermodehelper_exec_sync(struct subprocess_info *sub_info)

/* If SIGCLD is ignored do_wait won't populate the status. */ kernel_sigaction(SIGCHLD, SIG_DFL); - pid = kernel_thread(call_usermodehelper_exec_async, sub_info, SIGCHLD); + pid = user_mode_thread(call_usermodehelper_exec_async, sub_info, SIGCHLD); if (pid < 0) sub_info->retval = pid; else @@ -171,8 +171,8 @@ static void call_usermodehelper_exec_work(struct work_struct *work) * want to pollute current->children, and we need a parent * that always ignores SIGCHLD to ensure auto-reaping. */ - pid = kernel_thread(call_usermodehelper_exec_async, sub_info, - CLONE_PARENT | SIGCHLD); + pid = user_mode_thread(call_usermodehelper_exec_async, sub_info, + CLONE_PARENT | SIGCHLD); if (pid < 0) { sub_info->retval = pid; umh_complete(sub_info);