In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
vhost-vdpa: protect config_ctx from being freed under the config callback
vhost_vdpa_config_cb() loads v->config_ctx and signals it without taking
a reference and without holding any lock:
struct eventfd_ctx *config_ctx = v->config_ctx;
if (config_ctx)
eventfd_signal(config_ctx);
VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL replaces that field and drops what is normally
the last reference to the old context:
swap(ctx, v->config_ctx);
if (ctx)
eventfd_ctx_put(ctx);
eventfd_ctx_put() drops the last kref and frees the context immediately,
with no RCU grace period, so a callback that has already loaded the
pointer goes on to dereference freed memory. The two sides share no
lock: the ioctl runs under vhost_dev.mutex, while the parent invokes the
callback from its own interrupt or workqueue context.
This is not the reopen refcount underflow fixed by commit f6bbf0010ba0
("vhost-vdpa: fix use-after-free of v->config_ctx"), which was about
vhost_vdpa_config_put() leaving a stale pointer behind. Here the pointer
is maintained correctly and it is the read side that is unprotected.
With VDUSE as the parent this is reachable from userspace with access to
/dev/vduse (root by default). VDUSE_DEV_INJECT_CONFIG_IRQ queues
dev->inject, and vduse_dev_irq_inject() runs the callback under VDUSE's
own dev->irq_lock, which vhost does not hold. vduse_dev_reset() does
flush_work(&dev->inject), but VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL never goes
through reset, so an inject already in flight is not waited for. A
process that injects config interrupts on the VDUSE fd while another
thread swaps the call fd on the vhost-vdpa fd hits it in seconds:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath
Read of size 4 at addr ffff888107d21808 by task kworker/u17:1/2993
Workqueue: vduse-irq vduse_dev_irq_inject
Call Trace:
native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x97/0x5b0
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0xd4/0xe0
eventfd_signal_mask+0x69/0x120
vhost_vdpa_config_cb+0x34/0x50
vduse_dev_irq_inject+0x46/0x60
process_one_work+0x468/0x950
Allocated by task 2992:
do_eventfd+0x50/0x200
__x64_sys_eventfd2+0x2e/0x40
Freed by task 2992:
eventfd_ctx_put+0xb9/0xc0
vhost_vdpa_unlocked_ioctl+0x116c/0x2190
Add a spinlock covering every access to config_ctx, so the callback
either signals a context that is still alive or observes NULL, and the
put happens only once no callback can reach the old value.
Clearing the parent's callback before the put would not be enough: of the
in-tree set_config_cb() implementations only VDUSE takes a lock, the rest
store the pointer unlocked, so that would not order against an in-flight
invocation.
vhost-vdpa: protect config_ctx from being freed under the config callback
vhost_vdpa_config_cb() loads v->config_ctx and signals it without taking
a reference and without holding any lock:
struct eventfd_ctx *config_ctx = v->config_ctx;
if (config_ctx)
eventfd_signal(config_ctx);
VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL replaces that field and drops what is normally
the last reference to the old context:
swap(ctx, v->config_ctx);
if (ctx)
eventfd_ctx_put(ctx);
eventfd_ctx_put() drops the last kref and frees the context immediately,
with no RCU grace period, so a callback that has already loaded the
pointer goes on to dereference freed memory. The two sides share no
lock: the ioctl runs under vhost_dev.mutex, while the parent invokes the
callback from its own interrupt or workqueue context.
This is not the reopen refcount underflow fixed by commit f6bbf0010ba0
("vhost-vdpa: fix use-after-free of v->config_ctx"), which was about
vhost_vdpa_config_put() leaving a stale pointer behind. Here the pointer
is maintained correctly and it is the read side that is unprotected.
With VDUSE as the parent this is reachable from userspace with access to
/dev/vduse (root by default). VDUSE_DEV_INJECT_CONFIG_IRQ queues
dev->inject, and vduse_dev_irq_inject() runs the callback under VDUSE's
own dev->irq_lock, which vhost does not hold. vduse_dev_reset() does
flush_work(&dev->inject), but VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL never goes
through reset, so an inject already in flight is not waited for. A
process that injects config interrupts on the VDUSE fd while another
thread swaps the call fd on the vhost-vdpa fd hits it in seconds:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath
Read of size 4 at addr ffff888107d21808 by task kworker/u17:1/2993
Workqueue: vduse-irq vduse_dev_irq_inject
Call Trace:
native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x97/0x5b0
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0xd4/0xe0
eventfd_signal_mask+0x69/0x120
vhost_vdpa_config_cb+0x34/0x50
vduse_dev_irq_inject+0x46/0x60
process_one_work+0x468/0x950
Allocated by task 2992:
do_eventfd+0x50/0x200
__x64_sys_eventfd2+0x2e/0x40
Freed by task 2992:
eventfd_ctx_put+0xb9/0xc0
vhost_vdpa_unlocked_ioctl+0x116c/0x2190
Add a spinlock covering every access to config_ctx, so the callback
either signals a context that is still alive or observes NULL, and the
put happens only once no callback can reach the old value.
Clearing the parent's callback before the put would not be enough: of the
in-tree set_config_cb() implementations only VDUSE takes a lock, the rest
store the pointer unlocked, so that would not order against an in-flight
invocation.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
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Fixes
Solution
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Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-416 |
Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vhost-vdpa: protect config_ctx from being freed under the config callback vhost_vdpa_config_cb() loads v->config_ctx and signals it without taking a reference and without holding any lock: struct eventfd_ctx *config_ctx = v->config_ctx; if (config_ctx) eventfd_signal(config_ctx); VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL replaces that field and drops what is normally the last reference to the old context: swap(ctx, v->config_ctx); if (ctx) eventfd_ctx_put(ctx); eventfd_ctx_put() drops the last kref and frees the context immediately, with no RCU grace period, so a callback that has already loaded the pointer goes on to dereference freed memory. The two sides share no lock: the ioctl runs under vhost_dev.mutex, while the parent invokes the callback from its own interrupt or workqueue context. This is not the reopen refcount underflow fixed by commit f6bbf0010ba0 ("vhost-vdpa: fix use-after-free of v->config_ctx"), which was about vhost_vdpa_config_put() leaving a stale pointer behind. Here the pointer is maintained correctly and it is the read side that is unprotected. With VDUSE as the parent this is reachable from userspace with access to /dev/vduse (root by default). VDUSE_DEV_INJECT_CONFIG_IRQ queues dev->inject, and vduse_dev_irq_inject() runs the callback under VDUSE's own dev->irq_lock, which vhost does not hold. vduse_dev_reset() does flush_work(&dev->inject), but VHOST_VDPA_SET_CONFIG_CALL never goes through reset, so an inject already in flight is not waited for. A process that injects config interrupts on the VDUSE fd while another thread swaps the call fd on the vhost-vdpa fd hits it in seconds: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath Read of size 4 at addr ffff888107d21808 by task kworker/u17:1/2993 Workqueue: vduse-irq vduse_dev_irq_inject Call Trace: native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x97/0x5b0 _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0xd4/0xe0 eventfd_signal_mask+0x69/0x120 vhost_vdpa_config_cb+0x34/0x50 vduse_dev_irq_inject+0x46/0x60 process_one_work+0x468/0x950 Allocated by task 2992: do_eventfd+0x50/0x200 __x64_sys_eventfd2+0x2e/0x40 Freed by task 2992: eventfd_ctx_put+0xb9/0xc0 vhost_vdpa_unlocked_ioctl+0x116c/0x2190 Add a spinlock covering every access to config_ctx, so the callback either signals a context that is still alive or observes NULL, and the put happens only once no callback can reach the old value. Clearing the parent's callback before the put would not be enough: of the in-tree set_config_cb() implementations only VDUSE takes a lock, the rest store the pointer unlocked, so that would not order against an in-flight invocation. | |
| Title | vhost-vdpa: protect config_ctx from being freed under the config callback | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-25T10:23:24.472Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:18:58.209Z
Link: CVE-2026-97992
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-25T11:17:27.343
Modified: 2026-09-25T11:17:27.343
Link: CVE-2026-97992
Redhat
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OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-09-25T15:30:06Z
Weaknesses