In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ieee802154: hwsim: serialize pib updates to fix double-free hwsim_update_pib() does an unserialized read-swap-free of phy->pib: pib_old = rtnl_dereference(phy->pib);…

Overview

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

ieee802154: hwsim: serialize pib updates to fix double-free

hwsim_update_pib() does an unserialized read-swap-free of phy->pib:

pib_old = rtnl_dereference(phy->pib);
...
rcu_assign_pointer(phy->pib, pib);
kfree_rcu(pib_old, rcu);

It assumes the RTNL is held, but ->set_channel is not always called under it: the mac802154 scan worker changes channels via drv_set_channel() without the RTNL. Such an update can race an RTNL-held one on the same phy; both read the same pib_old and both kfree_rcu() it, double-freeing the object. With SLUB percpu sheaves batching kfree_rcu(), this surfaces as a KASAN invalid-free in rcu_free_sheaf().

struct hwsim_phy has no lock for pib. Add one and make the swap atomic with rcu_replace_pointer() under it, dropping the misleading rtnl_dereference().

Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.