Re: erofs: is z_erofs_put_pcluster()'s sbi access in the same UAF window as 1aee05e814d2?

Gao Xiang <[email protected]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:52:40 +0800
Newsgroups org.ozlabs.lists.linux-erofs,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel
Message-ID <[email protected]>

On 2026/6/23 10:49, Zhan Xusheng wrote:
> From: Zhan Xusheng <[email protected]>
> 
> Hi Xiang,
> 
> Following the race model established by commit 1aee05e814d2 ("erofs: fix
> use-after-free on sbi->sync_decompress") -- i.e. unmount does not drain
> the async decompress kworker, and unlocking the output folios lets inode
> eviction (truncate_inode_pages waits on the locked folios) and thus the
> unmount path proceed to kfree(sbi) -- I'd like to ask about another sbi
> access that also happens after the unlock, in the same kworker.
> 
> In z_erofs_decompress_pcluster():
> 
> 	erofs_onlinefolio_end(page_folio(page), err, true);  /* unlock */
> 	...
> 	z_erofs_put_pcluster(sbi, pcl, try_free);
> 
> and in z_erofs_put_pcluster():
> 
> 	if (try_free && xa_trylock(&sbi->managed_pslots)) {
> 		free = __erofs_try_to_release_pcluster(sbi, pcl);
> 		xa_unlock(&sbi->managed_pslots);
> 	}
> 
> So in the try_free path it dereferences sbi->managed_pslots after the
> output folios have been unlocked, which on control-flow alone looks
> similar to the UAF fixed by 1aee05e814d2.
> 
> What makes me unsure, though, is a difference from the sync_decompress
> case: sync_decompress is just a plain sbi member, whereas here
> z_erofs_put_pcluster() is still operating on a live pcluster that is
> registered in sbi->managed_pslots / the managed cache. So it's not clear
> to me whether the pcluster / managed-cache lifetime rules implicitly pin
> the filesystem instance and keep sbi valid across this window.
> 
> This also seems much harder to hit than the sync_decompress case: it is
> conditional (try_free, i.e. non-managed compressed pages, plus the
> pcluster refcount reaching zero), the window between the unlock and
> put_pcluster is narrow, and unmount still has evict_inodes/put_super work
> to do before kfree(sbi) -- which may be why syzbot didn't reach it.
> 
> Is there any guarantee that sbi stays valid here after the output folios
> are unlocked (e.g. via pcluster / managed-cache lifetime or RCU), or
> could unmount race with this path similarly to 1aee05e814d2? I'm asking
> rather than sending a patch since I couldn't convince myself either way.

No, this is totally false-positive.

> 
> Thanks,
>    Zhan Xusheng