[PATCH v4 0/2] cifs: fix readdir stale size bug and deferred-close reference leak
Frank Sorenson <[email protected]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:55:50 -0500
| Newsgroups | org.kernel.vger.linux-cifs |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
This series fixes two bugs in the cifs/smb3 client: a race where
readdir overwrites cached file sizes with stale server directory
metadata, and a pre-existing reference leak in the deferred-close
drain paths.
Patch 1 fixes a bug where stat() returns the wrong file size after a
write+close or rename against Windows Server. Windows Server's directory
enumeration metadata (EndOfFile) lags behind the actual file state
immediately after a modification. If a concurrent readdir() runs during
that lag, it overwrites the correctly cached i_size with the stale server
value; a subsequent stat() within the actimeo window then returns the
wrong size. Both the write+close and rename cases share the same root
cause. The bug does not reproduce against Samba or with actimeo=0.
The fix adds cifsInodeInfo->time_last_write, stamped at writable close
and at truncate. is_size_safe_to_change() blocks readdir from updating
i_size within acregmax jiffies of that timestamp. When a size update is
blocked and the server value differs from the cached one, the attribute
cache is invalidated, forcing a fresh QUERY_INFO on the next stat().
time_last_write is refreshed at the actual server close in
smb2_deferred_work_close() and the cifs_close_deferred_file*() drain
paths to ensure the protection window is anchored to the real close time
when closetimeo > 0.
Testing
-------
Reproduces against Windows Server 2022 with SMB 3.1.1 with multiple
concurrent threads; does not reproduce against Samba or with actimeo=0.
A reproducer exercising concurrent write+close+stat and rename+stat with
concurrent readdir was run for 50,000+ iterations without hitting the bug.
A reproducer is available at https://github.com/fsorenson/cifs_cache_race_repro/
Patch 2 addresses a pre-existing reference leak in the deferred-close
drain paths; when cancel_delayed_work() succeeds but the subsequent
kmalloc_obj() for the processing list fails, the cancelled work's
cifsFileInfo reference is silently dropped without calling
_cifsFileInfo_put(), leaking the reference and the open server handle.
The fix saves the affected cfile and calls _cifsFileInfo_put() after
releasing the lock.
v4: add memory barrier comments required by checkpatch; fix pre-existing
cifsFileInfo reference leak on kmalloc failure in deferred-close
drain paths (patch 2)
v3: replace CIFS_INO_LOCK serialization approach with time_last_write
tracking; single patch covered both observed symptoms
v2: fix malformed patch
Frank Sorenson (2):
cifs: prevent readdir from changing file size due to stale directory metadata
cifs: fix cifsFileInfo leak on kmalloc failure in deferred close drain paths
fs/smb/client/cifsfs.c | 1 +
fs/smb/client/cifsglob.h | 1 +
fs/smb/client/file.c | 69 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----
fs/smb/client/inode.c | 6 ++++
fs/smb/client/misc.c | 72 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------
5 files changed, 135 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)
--
2.55.0