In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sched/scs: Reset task stack state in bringup_cpu()
To hot unplug a CPU, the idle task on that CPU calls a few layers of C code before finally leaving the kernel. When KASAN is in use, poisoned shadow is left around for each of the active stack frames, and when shadow call stacks are in use. When shadow call stacks (SCS) are in use the task's saved SCS SP is left pointing at an arbitrary point within the task's shadow call stack.
When a CPU is offlined than onlined back into the kernel, this stale state can adversely affect execution. Stale KASAN shadow can alias new stackframes and result in bogus KASAN warnings. A stale SCS SP is effectively a memory leak, and prevents a portion of the shadow call stack being used. Across a number of hotplug cycles the idle task's entire shadow call stack can become unusable.
We previously fixed the KASAN issue in commit:
e1b77c92981a5222 ("sched/kasan: remove stale KASAN poison after hotplug")
... by removing any stale KASAN stack poison immediately prior to onlining a CPU.
Subsequently in commit:
f1a0a376ca0c4ef1 ("sched/core: Initialize the idle task with preemption disabled")
... the refactoring left the KASAN and SCS cleanup in one-time idle thread initialization code rather than something invoked prior to each CPU being onlined, breaking both as above.
We fixed SCS (but not KASAN) in commit:
63acd42c0d4942f7 ("sched/scs: Reset the shadow stack when idle_task_exit")
... but as this runs in the context of the idle task being offlined it's potentially fragile.
To fix these consistently and more robustly, reset the SCS SP and KASAN shadow of a CPU's idle task immediately before we online that CPU in bringup_cpu(). This ensures the idle task always has a consistent state when it is running, and removes the need to so so when exiting an idle task.
Whenever any thread is created, dup_task_struct() will give the task a stack which is free of KASAN shadow, and initialize the task's SCS SP, so there's no need to specially initialize either for idle thread within init_idle(), as this was only necessary to handle hotplug cycles.
I've tested this on arm64 with:
* gcc 11.1.0, defconfig +KASAN_INLINE, KASAN_STACK * clang 12.0.0, defconfig +KASAN_INLINE, KASAN_STACK, SHADOW_CALL_STACK
... offlining and onlining CPUS with:
| while true; do | for C in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/online; do | echo 0 > $C; | echo 1 > $C; | done | done
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 7.8
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux Ami 2 | — | Upgrade kernel-debuginfo-common-x86_64Upgrade bpftoolUpgrade kernelUpgrade kernel-tools-develUpgrade kernel-livepatch-5.10.93-87.444Upgrade kernel-toolsUpgrade perfUpgrade perf-debuginfoUpgrade kernel-debuginfoUpgrade bpftool-debuginfoUpgrade kernel-headersUpgrade python-perfUpgrade kernel-develUpgrade python-perf-debuginfoUpgrade kernel-tools-debuginfoUpgrade kernel-debuginfo-common-aarch64 | Mar 14, 2025 | May 24, 2024 |
| Debian | — | Upgrade linux | Jul 30, 2024 | May 24, 2024 |
| Redhat_linux | — | No solution exists | Jul 9, 2025 | May 24, 2024 |
| Suse | — | Upgrade kernel-64kb-livepatch-develUpgrade kernel-debug-livepatch-develUpgrade kselftests-kmp-defaultUpgrade ocfs2-kmp-rtUpgrade kernel-syms-rtUpgrade kernel-obs-qaUpgrade reiserfs-kmp-defaultUpgrade kernel-macrosUpgrade kselftests-kmp-rtUpgrade dtb-apmUpgrade dtb-armUpgrade kernel-default-optionalUpgrade dtb-hisiliconUpgrade kernel-debug-develUpgrade kernel-develUpgrade kernel-rt-develUpgrade dlm-kmp-azureUpgrade kernel-rt-livepatch-develUpgrade kernel-devel-azureUpgrade kernel-syms-azureUpgrade gfs2-kmp-rtUpgrade kernel-azure-vdsoUpgrade kernel-rt_debug-vdsoUpgrade dtb-socionextUpgrade kernel-rt-livepatchUpgrade reiserfs-kmp-rtUpgrade kernel-default-extraUpgrade kernel-defaultUpgrade kernel-64kb-optionalUpgrade kernel-devel-rtUpgrade kernel-kvmsmallUpgrade dtb-amlogicUpgrade dtb-rockchipUpgrade dtb-qcomUpgrade kernel-default-base-rebuildUpgrade kernel-docsUpgrade kernel-zfcpdumpUpgrade kernel-debugUpgrade kernel-symsUpgrade kernel-azure-livepatch-develUpgrade reiserfs-kmp-azureUpgrade kernel-kvmsmall-develUpgrade dlm-kmp-defaultUpgrade dtb-amdUpgrade dtb-xilinxUpgrade dtb-mediatekUpgrade kernel-64kb-develUpgrade cluster-md-kmp-azureUpgrade gfs2-kmp-64kbUpgrade cluster-md-kmp-defaultUpgrade dtb-broadcomUpgrade ocfs2-kmp-defaultUpgrade kernel-default-livepatchUpgrade cluster-md-kmp-rtUpgrade reiserfs-kmp-64kbUpgrade dtb-marvellUpgrade kernel-docs-htmlUpgrade dtb-sprdUpgrade kernel-source-azureUpgrade kernel-default-baseUpgrade cluster-md-kmp-64kbUpgrade kernel-azure-optionalUpgrade dtb-lgUpgrade kselftests-kmp-64kbUpgrade kernel-azure-extraUpgrade dtb-caviumUpgrade kernel-source-rtUpgrade kernel-default-livepatch-develUpgrade kernel-kvmsmall-vdsoUpgrade gfs2-kmp-azureUpgrade dtb-alteraUpgrade dtb-freescaleUpgrade dtb-exynosUpgrade kernel-sourceUpgrade dlm-kmp-rtUpgrade kernel-rt-vdsoUpgrade kernel-rt-optionalUpgrade kernel-default-vdsoUpgrade kernel-source-vanillaUpgrade kernel-rt_debugUpgrade kernel-64kb-extraUpgrade dtb-amazonUpgrade ocfs2-kmp-azureUpgrade kernel-azureUpgrade gfs2-kmp-defaultUpgrade dtb-renesasUpgrade ocfs2-kmp-64kbUpgrade kernel-rtUpgrade kernel-obs-buildUpgrade kernel-rt_debug-livepatch-develUpgrade kernel-rt-extraUpgrade kernel-kvmsmall-livepatch-develUpgrade kselftests-kmp-azureUpgrade kernel-debug-vdsoUpgrade dtb-allwinnerUpgrade kernel-rt_debug-develUpgrade dtb-appleUpgrade kernel-default-develUpgrade kernel-64kbUpgrade kernel-azure-develUpgrade dlm-kmp-64kbUpgrade dtb-nvidia | Aug 9, 2024 | May 24, 2024 |
| Vmware Photon_os | — | Use 'tdnf update' to upgrade all packages to the latest version. | Jan 20, 2025 | May 24, 2024 |
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