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From: Corey Minyard <minyard@acm.org>
To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Possible race in signal handling
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 15:59:58 -0600	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <404F8FDE.3050305@acm.org> (raw)

I'm hoping I am wrong, but I think I have found a race in signal 
handling.  I believe this can only happen in an SMP system or a system 
with preempt on.  I'll use 2.6 for the example, but I think it applies 
to 2.4, too.

In arch/i386/signal.c, in the do_signal() function, it calls 
get_signal_to_deliver() which returns the signal number to deliver 
(along with siginfo).  get_signal_to_deliver() grabs and releases the 
lock, so the signal handler lock is not held in do_signal().  Then the 
do_signal() calls handle_signal(), which uses the signal number to 
extract the sa_handler, etc.

Since no lock is held, it seems like another thread with the same signal 
handler set can come in and call sigaction(), it can change sa_handler 
between the call to get_signal_to_deliver() and fetching the value of 
sa_handler.  If the sigaction() call set it to SIG_IGN, SIG_DFL, or some 
other fundamental change, that bad things can happen.

Am I correct here, or am I missing something?

-Corey


             reply	other threads:[~2004-03-10 22:09 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2004-03-10 21:59 Corey Minyard [this message]
2004-03-13  2:07 ` Race in signal handling with reproducer program Corey Minyard

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