[PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Karunika Choo]

This patch removes the MCU halt and wait for halt procedures during
panthor_fw_unplug() as the MCU can be in a variety of states or the FW
may not even be loaded/initialized at all, the latter of which can lead
to a NULL pointer dereference.

It should be safe on unplug to just disable the MCU without waiting for
it to halt as it may not be able to.

Fixes: 514072549865 ("drm/panthor: Support GLB_REQ.STATE field for Mali-G1 GPUs")
Suggested-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>
Signed-off-by: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>
---
 drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c | 4 ----
 1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
index 4beaa589ba66..a64ec8756bed 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
@@ -1261,10 +1261,6 @@ void panthor_fw_unplug(struct panthor_device *ptdev)
 		if (ptdev->fw->irq.irq)
 			panthor_job_irq_suspend(&ptdev->fw->irq);
 
-		panthor_fw_halt_mcu(ptdev);
-		if (!panthor_fw_wait_mcu_halted(ptdev))
-			drm_warn(&ptdev->base, "Failed to halt MCU on unplug");
-
 		panthor_fw_stop(ptdev);
 	}
 
-- 
2.49.0

Re: [PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Boris Brezillon]

On Mon, 15 Dec 2025 20:33:12 +0000
Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com> wrote:

> This patch removes the MCU halt and wait for halt procedures during
> panthor_fw_unplug() as the MCU can be in a variety of states or the FW
> may not even be loaded/initialized at all, the latter of which can lead
> to a NULL pointer dereference.
> 
> It should be safe on unplug to just disable the MCU without waiting for
> it to halt as it may not be able to.
> 
> Fixes: 514072549865 ("drm/panthor: Support GLB_REQ.STATE field for Mali-G1 GPUs")
> Suggested-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>
> Signed-off-by: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>

Reviewed-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>

> ---
>  drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c | 4 ----
>  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> index 4beaa589ba66..a64ec8756bed 100644
> --- a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> +++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> @@ -1261,10 +1261,6 @@ void panthor_fw_unplug(struct panthor_device *ptdev)
>  		if (ptdev->fw->irq.irq)
>  			panthor_job_irq_suspend(&ptdev->fw->irq);
>  
> -		panthor_fw_halt_mcu(ptdev);
> -		if (!panthor_fw_wait_mcu_halted(ptdev))
> -			drm_warn(&ptdev->base, "Failed to halt MCU on unplug");
> -
>  		panthor_fw_stop(ptdev);
>  	}
>  

Re: [PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Liviu Dudau]

On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 08:33:12PM +0000, Karunika Choo wrote:
> This patch removes the MCU halt and wait for halt procedures during
> panthor_fw_unplug() as the MCU can be in a variety of states or the FW
> may not even be loaded/initialized at all, the latter of which can lead
> to a NULL pointer dereference.
> 
> It should be safe on unplug to just disable the MCU without waiting for
> it to halt as it may not be able to.
> 
> Fixes: 514072549865 ("drm/panthor: Support GLB_REQ.STATE field for Mali-G1 GPUs")
> Suggested-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>
> Signed-off-by: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>

Reviewed-by: Liviu Dudau <liviu@dudau.co.uk>

Best regards,
Liviu

> ---
>  drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c | 4 ----
>  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> index 4beaa589ba66..a64ec8756bed 100644
> --- a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> +++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
> @@ -1261,10 +1261,6 @@ void panthor_fw_unplug(struct panthor_device *ptdev)
>  		if (ptdev->fw->irq.irq)
>  			panthor_job_irq_suspend(&ptdev->fw->irq);
>  
> -		panthor_fw_halt_mcu(ptdev);
> -		if (!panthor_fw_wait_mcu_halted(ptdev))
> -			drm_warn(&ptdev->base, "Failed to halt MCU on unplug");
> -
>  		panthor_fw_stop(ptdev);
>  	}
>  
> -- 
> 2.49.0
> 

Re:Re: [PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Andy Yan]

Hello,

At 2025-12-16 20:51:53, "Liviu Dudau" <liviu.dudau@arm.com> wrote:
>On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 08:33:12PM +0000, Karunika Choo wrote:
>> This patch removes the MCU halt and wait for halt procedures during
>> panthor_fw_unplug() as the MCU can be in a variety of states or the FW
>> may not even be loaded/initialized at all, the latter of which can lead
>> to a NULL pointer dereference.
>> 
>> It should be safe on unplug to just disable the MCU without waiting for
>> it to halt as it may not be able to.
>> 
>> Fixes: 514072549865 ("drm/panthor: Support GLB_REQ.STATE field for Mali-G1 GPUs")
>> Suggested-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>
>> Signed-off-by: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>
>
>Reviewed-by: Liviu Dudau <liviu@dudau.co.uk>

  Tested-by: Andy Yan <andyshrk@163.com>

Hope can be merged in 6.19 release cycle.


>
>Best regards,
>Liviu
>
>> ---
>>  drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c | 4 ----
>>  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
>> 
>> diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>> index 4beaa589ba66..a64ec8756bed 100644
>> --- a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>> +++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>> @@ -1261,10 +1261,6 @@ void panthor_fw_unplug(struct panthor_device *ptdev)
>>  		if (ptdev->fw->irq.irq)
>>  			panthor_job_irq_suspend(&ptdev->fw->irq);
>>  
>> -		panthor_fw_halt_mcu(ptdev);
>> -		if (!panthor_fw_wait_mcu_halted(ptdev))
>> -			drm_warn(&ptdev->base, "Failed to halt MCU on unplug");
>> -
>>  		panthor_fw_stop(ptdev);
>>  	}
>>  
>> -- 
>> 2.49.0
>> 

Re: [PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Steven Price]

On 19/01/2026 06:33, Andy Yan wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> At 2025-12-16 20:51:53, "Liviu Dudau" <liviu.dudau@arm.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, Dec 15, 2025 at 08:33:12PM +0000, Karunika Choo wrote:
>>> This patch removes the MCU halt and wait for halt procedures during
>>> panthor_fw_unplug() as the MCU can be in a variety of states or the FW
>>> may not even be loaded/initialized at all, the latter of which can lead
>>> to a NULL pointer dereference.
>>>
>>> It should be safe on unplug to just disable the MCU without waiting for
>>> it to halt as it may not be able to.
>>>
>>> Fixes: 514072549865 ("drm/panthor: Support GLB_REQ.STATE field for Mali-G1 GPUs")
>>> Suggested-by: Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@collabora.com>
>>> Signed-off-by: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>
>>
>> Reviewed-by: Liviu Dudau <liviu@dudau.co.uk>
> 
>   Tested-by: Andy Yan <andyshrk@163.com>
> 
> Hope can be merged in 6.19 release cycle.

Boris has already merged this:

commit 920c6af98e98e6afedf6318a75bac95af8415c6c
Author: Karunika Choo <karunika.choo@arm.com>
Date:   Mon Dec 15 20:33:12 2025 +0000

    drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

However it's in the drm-misc-next branch which means it won't be pulled
until the merge window. Ideally it would have gone in via
drm-misc-fixes, but given this (AFAIK) only triggers in the combination
of loading the panthor driver *and* not having the correct firmware I
didn't think it was worth worrying about - and so haven't asked the DRM
maintainers to cherry pick it. The fix should get backported into a
6.19.x stable release.

If I've missed something then let me (and the DRM maintainers) know and
the commit can be cherry-picked.

Thanks,
Steve

> 
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Liviu
>>
>>> ---
>>>  drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c | 4 ----
>>>  1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
>>>
>>> diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>>> index 4beaa589ba66..a64ec8756bed 100644
>>> --- a/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>>> +++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/panthor/panthor_fw.c
>>> @@ -1261,10 +1261,6 @@ void panthor_fw_unplug(struct panthor_device *ptdev)
>>>  		if (ptdev->fw->irq.irq)
>>>  			panthor_job_irq_suspend(&ptdev->fw->irq);
>>>  
>>> -		panthor_fw_halt_mcu(ptdev);
>>> -		if (!panthor_fw_wait_mcu_halted(ptdev))
>>> -			drm_warn(&ptdev->base, "Failed to halt MCU on unplug");
>>> -
>>>  		panthor_fw_stop(ptdev);
>>>  	}
>>>  
>>> -- 
>>> 2.49.0
>>>

Re: [PATCH] drm/panthor: Fix NULL pointer dereference on panthor_fw_unplug

[Markus Elfring]

> This patch removes the …

See also once more:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst?h=v6.19-rc1#n94

Regards,
Markus