Red Hat: CVE-2025-40271: kernel: Linux kernel: Use-after-free in proc_readdir_de() can lead to privilege escalation or denial of service. (Multiple Advisories)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fs/proc: fix uaf in proc_readdir_de()

Pde is erased from subdir rbtree through rb_erase(), but not set the node
to EMPTY, which may result in uaf access. We should use RB_CLEAR_NODE()
set the erased node to EMPTY, then pde_subdir_next() will return NULL to
avoid uaf access.

We found an uaf issue while using stress-ng testing, need to run testcase
getdent and tun in the same time. The steps of the issue is as follows:

1) use getdent to traverse dir /proc/pid/net/dev_snmp6/, and current
pde is tun3;

2) in the [time windows] unregister netdevice tun3 and tun2, and erase
them from rbtree. erase tun3 first, and then erase tun2. the
pde(tun2) will be released to slab;

3) continue to getdent process, then pde_subdir_next() will return
pde(tun2) which is released, it will case uaf access.

CPU 0 | CPU 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
traverse dir /proc/pid/net/dev_snmp6/ | unregister_netdevice(tun->dev) //tun3 tun2
sys_getdents64() |
iterate_dir() |
proc_readdir() |
proc_readdir_de() | snmp6_unregister_dev()
pde_get(de); | proc_remove()
read_unlock(&proc_subdir_lock); | remove_proc_subtree()
| write_lock(&proc_subdir_lock);
[time window] | rb_erase(&root->subdir_node, &parent->subdir);
| write_unlock(&proc_subdir_lock);
read_lock(&proc_subdir_lock); |
next = pde_subdir_next(de); |
pde_put(de); |
de = next; //UAF |

rbtree of dev_snmp6
|
pde(tun3)
/ \
NULL pde(tun2)