What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities
CVE-2024-26737: bpf: Fix racing between bpf_timer_cancel_and_free and bpf_timer_cancel
- Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
- Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
- EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- Public exploit or detection template: none known
- Published: 2024-04-03 · updated 2026-08-04
- Weakness: CWE-416
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix racing between bpf_timer_cancel_and_free and bpf_timer_cancel The following race is possible between bpf_timer_cancel_and_free and bpf_timer_cancel. It will lead a UAF on the timer->timer. bpf_timer_cancel(); spin_lock(); t = timer->time; spin_unlock(); bpf_timer_cancel_and_free(); spin_lock(); t = timer->timer; timer->timer = NULL; spin_unlock(); hrtimer_cancel(&t->timer); kfree(t); /* UAF on t */ hrtimer_cancel(&t->timer); In bpf_timer_cancel_and_free, this patch frees the timer->timer after a rcu grace period. This requires a rcu_head addition to the "struct bpf_hrtimer". Another kfree(t) happens in bpf_timer_init, this does not need a kfree_rcu because it is still under the spin_lock and timer->timer has not been visible by others yet. In bpf_timer_cancel, rcu_read_lock() is added because this helper can be used in a non rcu critical section context (e.g. from a sleepable bpf prog). Other timer->timer usages in helpers.c have been audited, bpf_timer_cancel() is the only place where timer->timer is used outside of the spin_lock. Another solution considered is to mark a t->flag in bpf_timer_cancel and clear it after hrtimer_cancel() is done. In bpf_timer_cancel_and_free, it busy waits for the flag to be cleared before kfree(t). This patch goes with a straight forward solution and frees timer->timer after a rcu grace period.
Affected products
- Linux kernel: from 5.15 before 5.15.150; from 5.16 before 6.1.80; from 6.2 before 6.6.19; from 6.7 before 6.7.7; 6.8-rc1, 6.8-rc2, 6.8-rc3, 6.8-rc4, 6.8-rc5 — fixed in 5.15.150, 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7
How to fix
Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.15.150, 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0281b919e175bb9c3128bd3872ac2903e9436e3f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5268bb02107b9eedfdcd51db75b407d10043368c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d80a9e745fa5b47da3bca001f186c02485c7c33
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8327ed12e8ebc5436bfaa1786c49988894f9c8a6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/addf5e297e6cbf5341f9c07720693ca9ba0057b5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0281b919e175bb9c3128bd3872ac2903e9436e3f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5268bb02107b9eedfdcd51db75b407d10043368c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d80a9e745fa5b47da3bca001f186c02485c7c33
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8327ed12e8ebc5436bfaa1786c49988894f9c8a6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/addf5e297e6cbf5341f9c07720693ca9ba0057b5
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