CVE-2024-42090: pinctrl: fix deadlock in create_pinctrl() when handling -EPROBE_DEFER

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2024-07-29 · updated 2026-10-15
Weakness: CWE-667

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: fix deadlock in create_pinctrl() when handling -EPROBE_DEFER In create_pinctrl(), pinctrl_maps_mutex is acquired before calling add_setting(). If add_setting() returns -EPROBE_DEFER, create_pinctrl() calls pinctrl_free(). However, pinctrl_free() attempts to acquire pinctrl_maps_mutex, which is already held by create_pinctrl(), leading to a potential deadlock. This patch resolves the issue by releasing pinctrl_maps_mutex before calling pinctrl_free(), preventing the deadlock. This bug was discovered and resolved using Coverity Static Analysis Security Testing (SAST) by Synopsys, Inc.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.10 before 4.19.317; from 4.20 before 5.4.279; from 5.5 before 5.10.221; from 5.11 before 5.15.162; from 5.16 before 6.1.97; from 6.2 before 6.6.37 — fixed in 4.19.317, 5.10.221, 5.15.162, 5.4.279, 6.1.97, 6.6.37

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 4.19.317, 5.10.221, 5.15.162, 5.4.279. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2024-42090 or the next vulnerability affects your stack