Several drivers call dma_buf_fd() — which internally calls fd_install() — before copy_to_user() returns the fd number to userspace. If copy_to_user() fails, the fd is already published in the caller's fd table but the ioctl returns an error, so userspace never learns the fd number. Worse, the window between fd_install() and copy_to_user() allows other threads to observe and manipulate the fd (dup, close, SCM_RIGHTS), making any "close it on the failure path" fix unsafe.
The fix is to split the allocation into three steps: reserve an fd with get_unused_fd_flags() (not yet visible to other threads), do copy_to_user(), and only then publish the fd with fd_install() via the new dma_buf_fd_install() helper. On copy_to_user() failure, put_unused_fd() + dma_buf_put() cleanly unwind with no user-visible side effects.
Patch 1 introduces dma_buf_fd_install() in dma-buf.c (wrapping fd_install() together with the DMA_BUF_TRACE call to preserve export tracing) and applies the fix to dma-heap.
Patch 2 applies the same fix to fastrpc, which even had a comment acknowledging the problem could not be fixed before.
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/20260703080922.1838362-1-shoubaineng@gmail... v2: https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/20260710105430.3059661-1-shoubaineng@gmail...
Changes in v3: - Split into two patches (dma-heap + fastrpc separately) - Add dma_buf_fd_install() to preserve trace_dma_buf_fd tracepoint (spotted by T.J. Mercier and sashiko-bot on v2) - Add fastrpc fix using the new helper (suggested by T.J. Mercier)
Baineng Shou (2): dma-buf: dma-heap: don't publish fd before copy_to_user() succeeds misc: fastrpc: don't publish fd before copy_to_user() succeeds
drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c | 20 ++++++++++ drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c | 80 +++++++++++++++++++------------------- drivers/misc/fastrpc.c | 16 +++----- include/linux/dma-buf.h | 1 + 4 files changed, 67 insertions(+), 50 deletions(-)
DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC allocates a dma-buf and installs an fd into the caller's fd table via dma_buf_fd() -> fd_install() before dma_heap_ioctl() copies the result back to userspace. If the trailing copy_to_user() fails, userspace never learns the fd number, but the fd (and the underlying dma-buf reference) are already visible to other threads in the same process and are leaked for the lifetime of the process.
The obvious "close it on the failure path" fix is unsafe: once fd_install() has run, another thread can already dup() the fd, send it via SCM_RIGHTS, or close() it and let its number be reused, so a subsequent close_fd() from the ioctl path can operate on an unrelated file. This was pointed out by Christian König on v1 [1].
Restructure the allocation path so that fd_install() is the last, unfailable step of a successful ioctl:
1. heap->ops->allocate() creates the dma_buf. 2. get_unused_fd_flags() reserves an fd number in the caller's fd table without publishing it, so no other thread can observe it. 3. copy_to_user() delivers the fd number to userspace; on failure the fd is returned with put_unused_fd() and the dma_buf reference is dropped with dma_buf_put(), leaving no user- visible state behind. 4. dma_buf_fd_install() publishes the fd and emits the trace_dma_buf_fd tracepoint -- from here on the ioctl cannot fail.
A new dma_buf_fd_install() helper is introduced in dma-buf.c to wrap fd_install() together with the DMA_BUF_TRACE() call, preserving the export tracing that dma_buf_fd() provides. dma_heap_ioctl_allocate() is refactored to return the struct dma_buf * directly (returning ERR_PTR on failure) so the caller holds the dmabuf reference across steps 3 and 4.
The failure at step 3 is easily reachable from userspace: pass a struct dma_heap_allocation_data that lives in a page whose protection is flipped to PROT_READ between copy_from_user() and copy_to_user() (e.g. via mprotect()). Before this change each such ioctl leaks one dmabuf fd; after it, the fd table is unchanged on failure and only /dev/dma_heap/<name> remains open.
No UAPI or heap-driver interface change.
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/175e98de-f414-47d7-81c1-c0fe0a8f7f62@amd.c...
Fixes: c02a81fba74f ("dma-buf: Add dma-buf heaps framework") Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org Reviewed-by: T.J. Mercier tjmercier@google.com Signed-off-by: Baineng Shou shoubaineng@gmail.com --- drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c | 20 ++++++++++ drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c | 80 +++++++++++++++++++------------------- include/linux/dma-buf.h | 1 + 3 files changed, 61 insertions(+), 40 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c index d504c636dc29..4c9add51f9ef 100644 --- a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c +++ b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c @@ -803,6 +803,26 @@ int dma_buf_fd(struct dma_buf *dmabuf, int flags) } EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(dma_buf_fd, "DMA_BUF");
+/** + * dma_buf_fd_install - install a reserved fd for a dma-buf + * @dmabuf: [in] pointer to dma_buf + * @fd: [in] fd reserved with get_unused_fd_flags() + * + * Publishes a previously reserved fd into the caller's fd table. + * Must only be called after all fallible work (e.g. copy_to_user) + * has succeeded, as it cannot be undone safely once called. + * + * The caller is responsible for having emitted the trace event + * (via dma_buf_fd() or get_unused_fd_flags() + this function) + * before calling this. + */ +void dma_buf_fd_install(struct dma_buf *dmabuf, int fd) +{ + DMA_BUF_TRACE(trace_dma_buf_fd, dmabuf, fd); + fd_install(fd, dmabuf->file); +} +EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(dma_buf_fd_install, "DMA_BUF"); + /** * dma_buf_get - returns the struct dma_buf related to an fd * @fd: [in] fd associated with the struct dma_buf to be returned diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c index a76bf3f8b071..43c32fb28313 100644 --- a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c +++ b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c @@ -55,33 +55,6 @@ MODULE_PARM_DESC(mem_accounting, "Enable cgroup-based memory accounting for dma-buf heap allocations (default=false)."); EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(mem_accounting, "DMA_BUF_HEAP");
-static int dma_heap_buffer_alloc(struct dma_heap *heap, size_t len, - u32 fd_flags, - u64 heap_flags) -{ - struct dma_buf *dmabuf; - int fd; - - /* - * Allocations from all heaps have to begin - * and end on page boundaries. - */ - len = PAGE_ALIGN(len); - if (!len) - return -EINVAL; - - dmabuf = heap->ops->allocate(heap, len, fd_flags, heap_flags); - if (IS_ERR(dmabuf)) - return PTR_ERR(dmabuf); - - fd = dma_buf_fd(dmabuf, fd_flags); - if (fd < 0) { - dma_buf_put(dmabuf); - /* just return, as put will call release and that will free */ - } - return fd; -} - static int dma_heap_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) { struct dma_heap *heap; @@ -99,30 +72,42 @@ static int dma_heap_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) return 0; }
-static long dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(struct file *file, void *data) +static struct dma_buf *dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(struct file *file, void *data) { struct dma_heap_allocation_data *heap_allocation = data; struct dma_heap *heap = file->private_data; + struct dma_buf *dmabuf; int fd; + size_t len;
if (heap_allocation->fd) - return -EINVAL; + return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
if (heap_allocation->fd_flags & ~DMA_HEAP_VALID_FD_FLAGS) - return -EINVAL; + return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
if (heap_allocation->heap_flags & ~DMA_HEAP_VALID_HEAP_FLAGS) - return -EINVAL; + return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL); + + len = PAGE_ALIGN(heap_allocation->len); + if (!len) + return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL); + + dmabuf = heap->ops->allocate(heap, len, heap_allocation->fd_flags, + heap_allocation->heap_flags);
- fd = dma_heap_buffer_alloc(heap, heap_allocation->len, - heap_allocation->fd_flags, - heap_allocation->heap_flags); - if (fd < 0) - return fd; + if (IS_ERR(dmabuf)) + return dmabuf; + + fd = get_unused_fd_flags(heap_allocation->fd_flags); + if (fd < 0) { + dma_buf_put(dmabuf); + return ERR_PTR(fd); + }
heap_allocation->fd = fd;
- return 0; + return dmabuf; }
static unsigned int dma_heap_ioctl_cmds[] = { @@ -138,6 +123,8 @@ static long dma_heap_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned int ucmd, unsigned int in_size, out_size, drv_size, ksize; int nr = _IOC_NR(ucmd); int ret = 0; + int fd; + struct dma_buf *dmabuf;
if (nr >= ARRAY_SIZE(dma_heap_ioctl_cmds)) return -EINVAL; @@ -174,15 +161,28 @@ static long dma_heap_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned int ucmd,
switch (kcmd) { case DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC: - ret = dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(file, kdata); + dmabuf = dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(file, kdata); + + if (IS_ERR(dmabuf)) { + ret = PTR_ERR(dmabuf); + break; + } + + fd = ((struct dma_heap_allocation_data *)kdata)->fd; + if (copy_to_user((void __user *)arg, kdata, out_size) != 0) { + put_unused_fd(fd); + dma_buf_put(dmabuf); + ret = -EFAULT; + } else { + dma_buf_fd_install(dmabuf, fd); + } + break; default: ret = -ENOTTY; goto err; }
- if (copy_to_user((void __user *)arg, kdata, out_size) != 0) - ret = -EFAULT; err: if (kdata != stack_kdata) kfree(kdata); diff --git a/include/linux/dma-buf.h b/include/linux/dma-buf.h index d1203da56fc5..d15b2b31d3c9 100644 --- a/include/linux/dma-buf.h +++ b/include/linux/dma-buf.h @@ -567,6 +567,7 @@ void dma_buf_unpin(struct dma_buf_attachment *attach); struct dma_buf *dma_buf_export(const struct dma_buf_export_info *exp_info);
int dma_buf_fd(struct dma_buf *dmabuf, int flags); +void dma_buf_fd_install(struct dma_buf *dmabuf, int fd); struct dma_buf *dma_buf_get(int fd); void dma_buf_put(struct dma_buf *dmabuf);
On Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:46:53 +0800 Baineng Shou shoubaineng@gmail.com wrote:
DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC allocates a dma-buf and installs an fd into the caller's fd table via dma_buf_fd() -> fd_install() before dma_heap_ioctl() copies the result back to userspace. If the trailing copy_to_user() fails, userspace never learns the fd number, but the fd (and the underlying dma-buf reference) are already visible to other threads in the same process and are leaked for the lifetime of the process.
The obvious "close it on the failure path" fix is unsafe: once fd_install() has run, another thread can already dup() the fd, send it via SCM_RIGHTS, or close() it and let its number be reused, so a subsequent close_fd() from the ioctl path can operate on an unrelated file. This was pointed out by Christian König on v1 [1].
...
My 2c:
The other option is just to leave it as a 'problem for user space'. No reasonable program is going to handle the EFAULT return by doing anything other than exiting. Even getting an EFAULT is really an indication that the application is already in a real mess - most likely with a badly corrupted heap.
Anything else leaves error recovery code in the kernel that is pretty much never executed and open to a variety of bugs. While the recovery here is probably ok, there are some sockopt calls where it is all more complicated.
David
Hi David,
Thanks for the feedback.
The concern is not just about the EFAULT return — it's about the race window between fd_install() and copy_to_user(). Once fd_install() returns, the fd is immediately observable by other threads in the same process (via /proc/self/fd, SCM_RIGHTS, etc.), even before copy_to_user() has a chance to fail. The triggering condition is a deliberate mprotect() flip, not a corrupted heap.
The fix itself is small and follows the standard kernel idiom: get_unused_fd_flags() reserves the fd without publishing it, so the window between reservation and install is entirely under kernel control.
Baineng
David Laight david.laight.linux@gmail.com 于2026年7月14日周二 21:14写道:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:46:53 +0800 Baineng Shou shoubaineng@gmail.com wrote:
DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC allocates a dma-buf and installs an fd into the caller's fd table via dma_buf_fd() -> fd_install() before dma_heap_ioctl() copies the result back to userspace. If the trailing copy_to_user() fails, userspace never learns the fd number, but the fd (and the underlying dma-buf reference) are already visible to other threads in the same process and are leaked for the lifetime of the process.
The obvious "close it on the failure path" fix is unsafe: once fd_install() has run, another thread can already dup() the fd, send it via SCM_RIGHTS, or close() it and let its number be reused, so a subsequent close_fd() from the ioctl path can operate on an unrelated file. This was pointed out by Christian König on v1 [1].
...
My 2c:
The other option is just to leave it as a 'problem for user space'. No reasonable program is going to handle the EFAULT return by doing anything other than exiting. Even getting an EFAULT is really an indication that the application is already in a real mess - most likely with a badly corrupted heap.
Anything else leaves error recovery code in the kernel that is pretty much never executed and open to a variety of bugs. While the recovery here is probably ok, there are some sockopt calls where it is all more complicated.
David
fastrpc_ioctl_alloc_dmabuf() calls dma_buf_fd() which installs the fd into the caller's fd table before copy_to_user() copies the fd number back to userspace. If copy_to_user() fails, the fd is already visible to other threads in the same process but the ioctl returns -EFAULT. The existing comment in the code even acknowledges the problem:
"The usercopy failed, but we can't do much about it, as dma_buf_fd() already called fd_install()..."
Now that dma_buf_fd_install() is available (introduced to fix the same issue in dma-heap), apply the same pattern here: reserve the fd with get_unused_fd_flags(), attempt copy_to_user(), and only on success call dma_buf_fd_install() to publish it atomically with the tracepoint. On copy_to_user() failure, put_unused_fd() and dma_buf_put() cleanly unwind without any user-visible side effects.
Fixes: 6cffd79504ce ("misc: fastrpc: Add support for dmabuf exporter") Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org Signed-off-by: Baineng Shou shoubaineng@gmail.com --- drivers/misc/fastrpc.c | 16 ++++++---------- 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/misc/fastrpc.c b/drivers/misc/fastrpc.c index f3a49384586d..c5143cd25767 100644 --- a/drivers/misc/fastrpc.c +++ b/drivers/misc/fastrpc.c @@ -1709,24 +1709,20 @@ static int fastrpc_dmabuf_alloc(struct fastrpc_user *fl, char __user *argp) return err; }
- bp.fd = dma_buf_fd(buf->dmabuf, O_ACCMODE); + bp.fd = get_unused_fd_flags(O_ACCMODE); if (bp.fd < 0) { dma_buf_put(buf->dmabuf); - return -EINVAL; + return bp.fd; }
if (copy_to_user(argp, &bp, sizeof(bp))) { - /* - * The usercopy failed, but we can't do much about it, as - * dma_buf_fd() already called fd_install() and made the - * file descriptor accessible for the current process. It - * might already be closed and dmabuf no longer valid when - * we reach this point. Therefore "leak" the fd and rely on - * the process exit path to do any required cleanup. - */ + put_unused_fd(bp.fd); + dma_buf_put(buf->dmabuf); return -EFAULT; }
+ dma_buf_fd_install(buf->dmabuf, bp.fd); + return 0; }
On 7/14/26 13:46, Baineng Shou wrote:
Several drivers call dma_buf_fd() — which internally calls fd_install() — before copy_to_user() returns the fd number to userspace. If copy_to_user() fails, the fd is already published in the caller's fd table but the ioctl returns an error, so userspace never learns the fd number. Worse, the window between fd_install() and copy_to_user() allows other threads to observe and manipulate the fd (dup, close, SCM_RIGHTS), making any "close it on the failure path" fix unsafe.
The fix is to split the allocation into three steps: reserve an fd with get_unused_fd_flags() (not yet visible to other threads), do copy_to_user(), and only then publish the fd with fd_install() via the new dma_buf_fd_install() helper. On copy_to_user() failure, put_unused_fd() + dma_buf_put() cleanly unwind with no user-visible side effects.
Patch 1 introduces dma_buf_fd_install() in dma-buf.c (wrapping fd_install() together with the DMA_BUF_TRACE call to preserve export tracing) and applies the fix to dma-heap.
Patch 2 applies the same fix to fastrpc, which even had a comment acknowledging the problem could not be fixed before.
drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c is also using fd_install() of a DMA-buf file descriptor manually.
Would be nice if we could us the new dma_buf_fd_install() for tracing here as well.
Apart from that feel free to add Acked-by: Christian König christian.koenig@amd.com to the whole series.
Regards, Christian.
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/20260703080922.1838362-1-shoubaineng@gmail... v2: https://lore.kernel.org/dri-devel/20260710105430.3059661-1-shoubaineng@gmail...
Changes in v3:
- Split into two patches (dma-heap + fastrpc separately)
- Add dma_buf_fd_install() to preserve trace_dma_buf_fd tracepoint (spotted by T.J. Mercier and sashiko-bot on v2)
- Add fastrpc fix using the new helper (suggested by T.J. Mercier)
Baineng Shou (2): dma-buf: dma-heap: don't publish fd before copy_to_user() succeeds misc: fastrpc: don't publish fd before copy_to_user() succeeds
drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c | 20 ++++++++++ drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c | 80 +++++++++++++++++++------------------- drivers/misc/fastrpc.c | 16 +++----- include/linux/dma-buf.h | 1 + 4 files changed, 67 insertions(+), 50 deletions(-)
linaro-mm-sig@lists.linaro.org