In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: defensively unhash xfrm_state lists in __xfrm_state_delete KASAN reproduces a slab-use-after-free in __xfrm_state_delete()'s hlist_del_rcu calls under syzkaller load on linux-6.12.y stable (reproduced on 6.12.47, also reachable via the same code path on torvalds/master and on the ipsec tree). Nine unique signatures cluster in the xfrm_state lifecycle, the load-bearing one being: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __hlist_del include/linux/list.h:990 [inline] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hlist_del_rcu include/linux/rculist.h:516 [inline] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __xfrm_state_delete net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c Write of size 8 at addr ffff8881198bcb70 by task kworker/u8:9/435 Workqueue: netns cleanup_net Call Trace: __hlist_del / hlist_del_rcu __xfrm_state_delete xfrm_state_delete xfrm_state_flush xfrm_state_fini ops_exit_list cleanup_net The other observed signatures hit the same slab object from __xfrm_state_lookup, xfrm_alloc_spi, __xfrm_state_insert and an OOB write variant of __xfrm_state_delete, all on the byseq/byspi hash chains. __xfrm_state_delete() guards its byseq and byspi unhashes with value-based predicates: if (x->km.seq) hlist_del_rcu(&x->byseq); if (x->id.spi) hlist_del_rcu(&x->byspi); while everywhere else in the file (e.g. state_cache, state_cache_input) the safer hlist_unhashed() check is used. xfrm_alloc_spi() sets x->id.spi = newspi inside xfrm_state_lock and then immediately inserts into byspi, but a path that observes x->id.spi != 0 outside of xfrm_state_lock can still skip-or-hit the byspi unhash inconsistently with whether x is actually on the list. The same holds for x->km.seq versus byseq, and the bydst/bysrc unhashes have no predicate at all, so a second __xfrm_state_delete() on the same object writes through LIST_POISON pprev. The defensive change here: - Use hlist_del_init_rcu() instead of hlist_del_rcu() on bydst, bysrc, byseq and byspi so a second deletion is a no-op rather than a write through LIST_POISON pprev. The byseq/byspi nodes are already initialised in xfrm_state_alloc(). - Test hlist_unhashed() rather than the value predicate for byseq/byspi, so the unhash decision tracks list state rather than mutable scalar fields. Empirical verification: applied this patch on top of v6.12.47, rebuilt, and re-ran the same syzkaller harness for 1h16m on a previously-crashy configuration that produced ~100 hits each of slab-use-after-free Read in xfrm_alloc_spi / Read in __xfrm_state_lookup / Write in __xfrm_state_delete. After the patch, 7.1M execs across 32 VMs at ~1550 exec/sec produced zero xfrm_state UAF/OOB hits. /proc/slabinfo confirms the xfrm_state slab is actively allocated and freed during the run (~143 KiB resident), so the fuzzer is still exercising those code paths -- they just no longer crash. Reproduction: - Linux 6.12.47 x86_64 + KASAN_GENERIC + KASAN_INLINE + KCOV - syzkaller @ 746545b8b1e4c3a128db8652b340d3df90ce61db - 32 QEMU/KVM VMs x 2 vCPU on AWS c5.metal bare metal - 9 unique signatures collected in ~9h, all within xfrm_state lifecycle
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Attack Vector | LOCAL |
|---|---|
| Attack Complexity | LOW |
| Privileges Required | LOW |
| User Interaction | NONE |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality Impact | HIGH |
| Integrity Impact | HIGH |
| Availability Impact | HIGH |
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Type: Secondary
Exploitability Score: 1.8
Impact Score: 5.9
| Source | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [email protected] | Primary |
en
CWE-416
|
| 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | Secondary |
en
CWE-763
|
| Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d23a59c9c80> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d23a59c97c0> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d239fbea200> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d239fbe9700> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d23a59c8240> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | * | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d23a59ca0c0> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.1 | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d23a59ca540> | Operating System |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.1 | <built-in method update of dict object at 0x7d239fbeb940> | Operating System |
| Vulnerable | CPE |
|---|---|
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| Yes | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* |