From: NeilBrown neil@brown.name
[ Upstream commit d5fc1400a34b4ea5e8f2ce296ea12bf8c8421694 ]
If smb2_create_link() is called with ReplaceIfExists set and the name does exist then a deadlock will happen.
ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_locked() will return with success and the parent directory will be locked. ksmbd_vfs_remove_file() will then remove the file. ksmbd_vfs_link() will then be called while the parent is still locked. It will try to lock the same parent and will deadlock.
This patch moves the ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_unlock() call to *before* ksmbd_vfs_link() and then simplifies the code, removing the file_present flag variable.
Signed-off-by: NeilBrown neil@brown.name Acked-by: Namjae Jeon linkinjeon@kernel.org Signed-off-by: Steve French stfrench@microsoft.com Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin sashal@kernel.org ---
LLM Generated explanations, may be completely bogus:
**Backport Status: YES**
This commit should be backported to stable kernel trees. Here's my detailed analysis:
## Bug Analysis
This commit fixes a critical **deadlock** issue in the ksmbd (SMB server) subsystem. The deadlock occurs in the `smb2_create_link()` function when creating a hard link with the `ReplaceIfExists` flag set and the target file already exists.
### Deadlock Sequence:
1. `ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_locked()` is called and locks the parent directory 2. If the file exists and `ReplaceIfExists` is true, `ksmbd_vfs_remove_file()` is called while the parent is still locked 3. `ksmbd_vfs_link()` is then called, which attempts to lock the same parent directory again 4. **Result: Deadlock** - the function tries to acquire a lock it already holds
### Fix Implementation:
The fix reorders the operations by: - Moving the `ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_unlock()` call to execute **before** `ksmbd_vfs_link()` - This ensures the parent directory is unlocked before attempting the link operation - The code is also simplified by removing the `file_present` flag variable
## Backport Justification:
1. **Critical Bug**: This fixes a deadlock that can hang the kernel's SMB server functionality 2. **User Impact**: The deadlock can be triggered by normal SMB operations (creating hard links with replace), affecting file server availability 3. **Small and Contained**: The fix is minimal - just reordering function calls and simplifying logic 4. **No Architectural Changes**: This is a straightforward bug fix with no feature additions 5. **Low Risk**: The change only affects the specific error path in link creation 6. **Similar to Other Fixes**: The kernel has accepted similar deadlock fixes in ksmbd (e.g., commit 864fb5d37163 "ksmbd: fix possible deadlock in smb2_open")
## Code Quality:
The fix properly maintains the locking semantics while avoiding the deadlock. The simplified code flow makes the logic clearer and less error-prone.
This is exactly the type of bug fix that stable kernels should receive - it fixes a real issue that affects users, has minimal risk of regression, and improves system stability.
fs/smb/server/smb2pdu.c | 16 ++++------------ 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
diff --git a/fs/smb/server/smb2pdu.c b/fs/smb/server/smb2pdu.c index a97a2885730d..ab1ea8fe1c1b 100644 --- a/fs/smb/server/smb2pdu.c +++ b/fs/smb/server/smb2pdu.c @@ -6013,7 +6013,6 @@ static int smb2_create_link(struct ksmbd_work *work, { char *link_name = NULL, *target_name = NULL, *pathname = NULL; struct path path, parent_path; - bool file_present = false; int rc;
if (buf_len < (u64)sizeof(struct smb2_file_link_info) + @@ -6046,11 +6045,8 @@ static int smb2_create_link(struct ksmbd_work *work, if (rc) { if (rc != -ENOENT) goto out; - } else - file_present = true; - - if (file_info->ReplaceIfExists) { - if (file_present) { + } else { + if (file_info->ReplaceIfExists) { rc = ksmbd_vfs_remove_file(work, &path); if (rc) { rc = -EINVAL; @@ -6058,21 +6054,17 @@ static int smb2_create_link(struct ksmbd_work *work, link_name); goto out; } - } - } else { - if (file_present) { + } else { rc = -EEXIST; ksmbd_debug(SMB, "link already exists\n"); goto out; } + ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_unlock(&parent_path, &path); } - rc = ksmbd_vfs_link(work, target_name, link_name); if (rc) rc = -EINVAL; out: - if (file_present) - ksmbd_vfs_kern_path_unlock(&parent_path, &path);
if (!IS_ERR(link_name)) kfree(link_name);