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In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been...

Moderate severity Unreviewed Published Mar 17, 2025 to the GitHub Advisory Database • Updated Mar 17, 2025

Package

No package listedSuggest a package

Affected versions

Unknown

Patched versions

Unknown

Description

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

tty: fix deadlock caused by calling printk() under tty_port->lock

pty_write() invokes kmalloc() which may invoke a normal printk() to print
failure message. This can cause a deadlock in the scenario reported by
syz-bot below:

   CPU0              CPU1                    CPU2
   ----              ----                    ----
                     lock(console_owner);
                                             lock(&port_lock_key);

lock(&port->lock);
lock(&port_lock_key);
lock(&port->lock);
lock(console_owner);

As commit dbdda842fe96 ("printk: Add console owner and waiter logic to
load balance console writes") said, such deadlock can be prevented by
using printk_deferred() in kmalloc() (which is invoked in the section
guarded by the port->lock). But there are too many printk() on the
kmalloc() path, and kmalloc() can be called from anywhere, so changing
printk() to printk_deferred() is too complicated and inelegant.

Therefore, this patch chooses to specify __GFP_NOWARN to kmalloc(), so
that printk() will not be called, and this deadlock problem can be
avoided.

Syzbot reported the following lockdep error:

======================================================
WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected
5.4.143-00237-g08ccc19a-dirty #10 Not tainted

syz-executor.4/29420 is trying to acquire lock:
ffffffff8aedb2a0 (console_owner){....}-{0:0}, at: console_trylock_spinning kernel/printk/printk.c:1752 [inline]
ffffffff8aedb2a0 (console_owner){....}-{0:0}, at: vprintk_emit+0x2ca/0x470 kernel/printk/printk.c:2023

but task is already holding lock:
ffff8880119c9158 (&port->lock){-.-.}-{2:2}, at: pty_write+0xf4/0x1f0 drivers/tty/pty.c:120

which lock already depends on the new lock.

the existing dependency chain (in reverse order) is:

-> #2 (&port->lock){-.-.}-{2:2}:
__raw_spin_lock_irqsave include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:110 [inline]
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x35/0x50 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:159
tty_port_tty_get drivers/tty/tty_port.c:288 [inline] <-- lock(&port->lock);
tty_port_default_wakeup+0x1d/0xb0 drivers/tty/tty_port.c:47
serial8250_tx_chars+0x530/0xa80 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_port.c:1767
serial8250_handle_irq.part.0+0x31f/0x3d0 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_port.c:1854
serial8250_handle_irq drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_port.c:1827 [inline] <-- lock(&port_lock_key);
serial8250_default_handle_irq+0xb2/0x220 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_port.c:1870
serial8250_interrupt+0xfd/0x200 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_core.c:126
__handle_irq_event_percpu+0x109/0xa50 kernel/irq/handle.c:156
[...]

-> #1 (&port_lock_key){-.-.}-{2:2}:
__raw_spin_lock_irqsave include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:110 [inline]
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x35/0x50 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:159
serial8250_console_write+0x184/0xa40 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_port.c:3198
<-- lock(&port_lock_key);
call_console_drivers kernel/printk/printk.c:1819 [inline]
console_unlock+0x8cb/0xd00 kernel/printk/printk.c:2504
vprintk_emit+0x1b5/0x470 kernel/printk/printk.c:2024 <-- lock(console_owner);
vprintk_func+0x8d/0x250 kernel/printk/printk_safe.c:394
printk+0xba/0xed kernel/printk/printk.c:2084
register_console+0x8b3/0xc10 kernel/printk/printk.c:2829
univ8250_console_init+0x3a/0x46 drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_core.c:681
console_init+0x49d/0x6d3 kernel/printk/printk.c:2915
start_kernel+0x5e9/0x879 init/main.c:713
secondary_startup_64+0xa4/0xb0 arch/x86/kernel/head_64.S:241

-> #0 (console_owner){....}-{0:0}:
[...]
lock_acquire+0x127/0x340 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:4734
console_trylock_spinning kernel/printk/printk.c:1773
---truncated---

References

Published by the National Vulnerability Database Feb 26, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Mar 17, 2025
Last updated Mar 17, 2025

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(0th percentile)

Weaknesses

Improper Locking

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock on a resource, leading to unexpected resource state changes and behaviors. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2022-49441

GHSA ID

GHSA-c7gr-crgh-pwcp

Source code

No known source code

Dependabot alerts are not supported on this advisory because it does not have a package from a supported ecosystem with an affected and fixed version.

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