FAILED: patch "[PATCH] serial: core: fix NULL pointer dereference in" failed to apply to 6.12-stable tree

[<gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>]

The patch below does not apply to the 6.12-stable tree.
If someone wants it applied there, or to any other stable or longterm
tree, then please email the backport, including the original git commit
id to <stable@vger.kernel.org>.

To reproduce the conflict and resubmit, you may use the following commands:

git fetch https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/ linux-6.12.y
git checkout FETCH_HEAD
git cherry-pick -x 499485a67fbacf4d9afbdb43522388c64f853428
# <resolve conflicts, build, test, etc.>
git commit -s
git send-email --to '<stable@vger.kernel.org>' --in-reply-to '2026100501-doily-overblown-7da9@gregkh' --subject-prefix 'PATCH 6.12.y' 'HEAD^..'

Possible dependencies:



thanks,

greg k-h

------------------ original commit in Linus's tree ------------------

From 499485a67fbacf4d9afbdb43522388c64f853428 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ruslan Valiyev <linuxoid@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:46:54 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] serial: core: fix NULL pointer dereference in
 serial_core_unregister_port()

port->port_dev is NULL when no port device is installed: it is cleared
on teardown, and never set if registration failed before
serial_core_port_device_add().  serial_core_unregister_port() passes it
straight to serial_core_get_ctrl_dev(), which dereferences it:

  KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000040-0x0000000000000047]
  RIP: serial_core_unregister_port
  Call Trace:
   serial8250_unregister_port
   serial8250_remove
   unbind_store

Return early when there is no port device, and read port->port_dev
under port_mutex.

Also clear port->port_dev on the serial_core_register_port() error
path, where the port device has already been removed.

Fixes: 84a9582fd203 ("serial: core: Start managing serial controllers to enable runtime PM")
Reported-by: syzbot+9f57c1b2792029198fcf@syzkaller.appspotmail.com
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=9f57c1b2792029198fcf
Cc: stable@kernel.org
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-5
Assisted-by: Codex:gpt-5.6-sol
Signed-off-by: Ruslan Valiyev <linuxoid@gmail.com>
Link: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=9f57c1b2792029198fcf
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260826073237.1377668-1-linuxoid@gmail.com/
Reviewed-by: Tony Lindgren <tony.lindgren@linux.intel.com>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260826084654.1392851-1-linuxoid@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>

diff --git a/drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c b/drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c
index 33c8f3b6ac81..6332ed545c89 100644
--- a/drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c
+++ b/drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c
@@ -3381,6 +3381,7 @@ int serial_core_register_port(struct uart_driver *drv, struct uart_port *port)
 
 err_unregister_port_dev:
 	serial_base_port_device_remove(port->port_dev);
+	port->port_dev = NULL;
 
 err_unregister_ctrl_dev:
 	serial_base_ctrl_device_remove(new_ctrl_dev);
@@ -3395,12 +3396,24 @@ int serial_core_register_port(struct uart_driver *drv, struct uart_port *port)
 void serial_core_unregister_port(struct uart_driver *drv, struct uart_port *port)
 {
 	struct device *phys_dev = port->dev;
-	struct serial_port_device *port_dev = port->port_dev;
-	struct serial_ctrl_device *ctrl_dev = serial_core_get_ctrl_dev(port_dev);
+	struct serial_port_device *port_dev;
+	struct serial_ctrl_device *ctrl_dev;
 	int ctrl_id = port->ctrl_id;
 
 	guard(mutex)(&port_mutex);
 
+	/*
+	 * A NULL port device means there is no registered port device to
+	 * remove: serial_core_remove_one_port() clears port_dev on
+	 * teardown, and it is never set if registration failed before
+	 * serial_core_port_device_add().
+	 */
+	port_dev = port->port_dev;
+	if (!port_dev)
+		return;
+
+	ctrl_dev = serial_core_get_ctrl_dev(port_dev);
+
 	port->flags |= UPF_DEAD;
 
 	serial_core_remove_one_port(drv, port);