[PATCH net] mptcp: fix use-after-free of the subflow context on the delegated list

[PATCH net] mptcp: fix use-after-free of the subflow context on the delegated list

[Hyunwoo Kim]

mptcp_subflow_delegate() links the subflow context into a per-CPU napi
list and takes a reference on the subflow socket. The context is a
separate allocation, reached through icsk_ulp_data, and the list holds
no reference to it.

inet_csk_destroy_sock() runs sk_prot->destroy() regardless of the
outstanding references. That path ends in tcp_cleanup_ulp(), which calls
subflow_ulp_release(). subflow_ulp_release() frees the context with
kfree_rcu() but does not remove it from the list. Once the grace period
elapses and the context is actually freed, the next mptcp_napi_poll()
dequeues that entry and mptcp_subflow_delegated_next() writes to the
freed context with list_del_init(). That is the use-after-free.

The freeing path cannot dequeue the entry itself: the list is per-CPU
and only the CPU that queued the subflow may touch it, as
tcp_release_cb_override() already notes.

Delay the free instead. Add MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD.
mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() sets it and frees the context only if the
subflow is not scheduled, while mptcp_napi_poll() frees it if the dead
bit is set when it clears the scheduled bit. Either
mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() gets there first, sees the scheduled bit and
leaves the free to mptcp_napi_poll(), or mptcp_napi_poll() gets there
first, does not see the dead bit and mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() does the
free.

Also skip mptcp_subflow_process_delegated() once the dead bit is set.
subflow_ulp_release() has already dropped the msk reference by then, so
the pending actions must not run.

Finally, move delegated_status out of struct_group(reset).
mptcp_subflow_ctx_reset() clears that group on disconnect, and clearing
the scheduled bit while the entry is still queued would let
mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() free a context the napi list still points to.
delegated_node is already outside the group.

Fixes: b19bc2945b40 ("mptcp: implement delegated actions")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Hyunwoo Kim <imv4bel@gmail.com>
---
 net/mptcp/protocol.c | 13 ++++++++++---
 net/mptcp/protocol.h | 16 ++++++++++++++--
 net/mptcp/subflow.c  |  4 ++--
 3 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/mptcp/protocol.c b/net/mptcp/protocol.c
index 7c8180d8d5eff6..8aa276dfe88639 100644
--- a/net/mptcp/protocol.c
+++ b/net/mptcp/protocol.c
@@ -2641,7 +2641,7 @@ static void __mptcp_close_ssk(struct sock *sk, struct sock *ssk,
 	 */
 	if (!inet_csk(ssk)->icsk_ulp_ops) {
 		WARN_ON_ONCE(!sock_flag(ssk, SOCK_DEAD));
-		kfree_rcu(subflow, rcu);
+		mptcp_subflow_free_ctx(subflow);
 	} else {
 		/* otherwise tcp will dispose of the ssk and subflow ctx */
 		__tcp_close(ssk, 0);
@@ -4617,10 +4617,13 @@ static int mptcp_napi_poll(struct napi_struct *napi, int budget)
 	delegated = container_of(napi, struct mptcp_delegated_action, napi);
 	while ((subflow = mptcp_subflow_delegated_next(delegated)) != NULL) {
 		struct sock *ssk = mptcp_subflow_tcp_sock(subflow);
+		long status;
 
 		bh_lock_sock_nested(ssk);
 		if (!sock_owned_by_user(ssk)) {
-			mptcp_subflow_process_delegated(ssk, xchg(&subflow->delegated_status, 0));
+			status = xchg(&subflow->delegated_status, 0);
+			if (!(status & BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD)))
+				mptcp_subflow_process_delegated(ssk, status);
 		} else {
 			/* tcp_release_cb_override already processed
 			 * the action or will do at next release_sock().
@@ -4628,11 +4631,15 @@ static int mptcp_napi_poll(struct napi_struct *napi, int budget)
 			 * CPU that scheduled it.
 			 */
 			smp_wmb();
-			clear_bit(MPTCP_DELEGATE_SCHEDULED, &subflow->delegated_status);
+			status = set_mask_bits(&subflow->delegated_status,
+					       BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_SCHEDULED), 0);
 		}
 		bh_unlock_sock(ssk);
 		sock_put(ssk);
 
+		if (status & BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD))
+			kfree_rcu(subflow, rcu);
+
 		if (++work_done == budget)
 			return budget;
 	}
diff --git a/net/mptcp/protocol.h b/net/mptcp/protocol.h
index 1b80f2d6ec5a23..df9d0bf127febd 100644
--- a/net/mptcp/protocol.h
+++ b/net/mptcp/protocol.h
@@ -538,8 +538,10 @@ DECLARE_PER_CPU(struct mptcp_delegated_action, mptcp_delegated_actions);
 #define MPTCP_DELEGATE_SEND		1
 #define MPTCP_DELEGATE_ACK		2
 #define MPTCP_DELEGATE_SNDBUF		3
+#define MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD		4
 
-#define MPTCP_DELEGATE_ACTIONS_MASK	(~BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_SCHEDULED))
+#define MPTCP_DELEGATE_ACTIONS_MASK	(~(BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_SCHEDULED) | \
+					   BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD)))
 /* MPTCP subflow context */
 struct mptcp_subflow_context {
 	struct	list_head node;/* conn_list of subflows */
@@ -608,11 +610,11 @@ struct mptcp_subflow_context {
 
 	u32	subflow_id;
 
-	long	delegated_status;
 	unsigned long	fail_tout;
 
 	);
 
+	long	delegated_status;
 	struct	list_head delegated_node;   /* link into delegated_action, protected by local BH */
 
 	u32	setsockopt_seq;
@@ -788,6 +790,16 @@ mptcp_subflow_delegated_next(struct mptcp_delegated_action *delegated)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static inline void mptcp_subflow_free_ctx(struct mptcp_subflow_context *subflow)
+{
+	long old = set_mask_bits(&subflow->delegated_status, 0,
+				 BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD));
+
+	/* a scheduled subflow is owned by mptcp_napi_poll(), which will free it */
+	if (!(old & BIT(MPTCP_DELEGATE_SCHEDULED)))
+		kfree_rcu(subflow, rcu);
+}
+
 void __mptcp_inherit_memcg(struct sock *sk, struct sock *ssk, gfp_t gfp);
 void __mptcp_inherit_cgrp_data(struct sock *sk, struct sock *ssk);
 
diff --git a/net/mptcp/subflow.c b/net/mptcp/subflow.c
index e1f20ff8fdb424..b118594ab1b9a8 100644
--- a/net/mptcp/subflow.c
+++ b/net/mptcp/subflow.c
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ void mptcp_subflow_drop_ctx(struct sock *ssk)
 			sock_put(ctx->conn);
 	}
 
-	kfree_rcu(ctx, rcu);
+	mptcp_subflow_free_ctx(ctx);
 }
 
 void __mptcp_subflow_fully_established(struct mptcp_sock *msk,
@@ -2024,7 +2024,7 @@ static void subflow_ulp_release(struct sock *ssk)
 
 	mptcp_subflow_ops_undo_override(ssk);
 	if (release)
-		kfree_rcu(ctx, rcu);
+		mptcp_subflow_free_ctx(ctx);
 }
 
 static void subflow_ulp_clone(const struct request_sock *req,
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH net] mptcp: fix use-after-free of the subflow context on the delegated list

[Matthieu Baerts]

Hi Hyunwoo,

On 19/08/2026 12:13, Hyunwoo Kim wrote:
> mptcp_subflow_delegate() links the subflow context into a per-CPU napi
> list and takes a reference on the subflow socket. The context is a
> separate allocation, reached through icsk_ulp_data, and the list holds
> no reference to it.
> 
> inet_csk_destroy_sock() runs sk_prot->destroy() regardless of the
> outstanding references. That path ends in tcp_cleanup_ulp(), which calls
> subflow_ulp_release(). subflow_ulp_release() frees the context with
> kfree_rcu() but does not remove it from the list. Once the grace period
> elapses and the context is actually freed, the next mptcp_napi_poll()
> dequeues that entry and mptcp_subflow_delegated_next() writes to the
> freed context with list_del_init(). That is the use-after-free.
> 
> The freeing path cannot dequeue the entry itself: the list is per-CPU
> and only the CPU that queued the subflow may touch it, as
> tcp_release_cb_override() already notes.
> 
> Delay the free instead. Add MPTCP_DELEGATE_DEAD.
> mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() sets it and frees the context only if the
> subflow is not scheduled, while mptcp_napi_poll() frees it if the dead
> bit is set when it clears the scheduled bit. Either
> mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() gets there first, sees the scheduled bit and
> leaves the free to mptcp_napi_poll(), or mptcp_napi_poll() gets there
> first, does not see the dead bit and mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() does the
> free.
> 
> Also skip mptcp_subflow_process_delegated() once the dead bit is set.
> subflow_ulp_release() has already dropped the msk reference by then, so
> the pending actions must not run.
> 
> Finally, move delegated_status out of struct_group(reset).
> mptcp_subflow_ctx_reset() clears that group on disconnect, and clearing
> the scheduled bit while the entry is still queued would let
> mptcp_subflow_free_ctx() free a context the napi list still points to.
> delegated_node is already outside the group.
Thank you for looking at this. Do you have more context about how the
bug was discovered? Do you have a reproducer and/or a KASAN calltrace or
similar?

Having this would help the reviewers.

Cheers,
Matt
-- 
Sponsored by the NGI0 Core fund.

Re: [PATCH net] mptcp: fix use-after-free of the subflow context on the delegated list

[MPTCP CI]

Hi Hyunwoo,

Thank you for your modifications, that's great!

Our CI did some validations and here is its report:

- KVM Validation: normal (except selftest_mptcp_join): Success! ✅
- KVM Validation: normal (only selftest_mptcp_join): Success! ✅
- KVM Validation: debug (except selftest_mptcp_join): Success! ✅
- KVM Validation: debug (only selftest_mptcp_join): Success! ✅
- KVM Validation: btf-normal (only bpftest_all): Success! ✅
- KVM Validation: btf-debug (only bpftest_all): Success! ✅
- Task: https://github.com/multipath-tcp/mptcp_net-next/actions/runs/32244240048

Initiator: Patchew Applier
Commits: https://github.com/multipath-tcp/mptcp_net-next/commits/113b7d74e31f
Patchwork: https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/mptcp/list/?series=1148376


If there are some issues, you can reproduce them using the same environment as
the one used by the CI thanks to a docker image, e.g.:

    $ cd [kernel source code]
    $ docker run -v "${PWD}:${PWD}:rw" -w "${PWD}" --privileged --rm -it \
        --pull always mptcp/mptcp-upstream-virtme-docker:latest \
        auto-normal

For more details:

    https://github.com/multipath-tcp/mptcp-upstream-virtme-docker


Please note that despite all the efforts that have been already done to have a
stable tests suite when executed on a public CI like here, it is possible some
reported issues are not due to your modifications. Still, do not hesitate to
help us improve that ;-)

Cheers,
MPTCP GH Action bot
Bot operated by Matthieu Baerts (NGI0 Core)