[PATCH] eventfs: Fix use-after-free in eventfs_remove_rec()

Shuangpeng Bai <[email protected]> Wed, 5 Aug 2026 22:27:19 -0400
Newsgroups org.kernel.vger.linux-trace-kernel,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel,org.kernel.vger.stable
Message-ID <[email protected]>
eventfs_remove_rec() recursively removes the child at the current loop
position. After the recursive call returns, list_for_each_entry() advances
by reading list.next from the removed child.

If free_ei() drops the final reference, release_ei() reuses the list/rcu
union to queue an SRCU callback. The child may be freed before that read.
The eventfs_mutex serializes list updates, but it does not keep the removed
child alive or prevent the SRCU callback from running.

Use list_for_each_entry_safe() to save the next sibling before recursively
removing the current child.

Fixes: 43aa6f97c2d0 ("eventfs: Get rid of dentry pointers without refcounts")
Cc: [email protected]
Signed-off-by: Shuangpeng Bai <[email protected]>
---
 fs/tracefs/event_inode.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/tracefs/event_inode.c b/fs/tracefs/event_inode.c
index 39c7a34531e8..93bc4f83b73e 100644
--- a/fs/tracefs/event_inode.c
+++ b/fs/tracefs/event_inode.c
@@ -822,7 +822,7 @@ struct eventfs_inode *eventfs_create_events_dir(const char *name, struct dentry
  */
 static void eventfs_remove_rec(struct eventfs_inode *ei, int level)
 {
-	struct eventfs_inode *ei_child;
+	struct eventfs_inode *ei_child, *tmp;
 
 	/*
 	 * Check recursion depth. It should never be greater than 3:
@@ -835,7 +835,7 @@ static void eventfs_remove_rec(struct eventfs_inode *ei, int level)
 		return;
 
 	/* search for nested folders or files */
-	list_for_each_entry(ei_child, &ei->children, list)
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(ei_child, tmp, &ei->children, list)
 		eventfs_remove_rec(ei_child, level + 1);
 
 	list_del_rcu(&ei->list);
-- 
2.43.0