[PATCH v9 9/9] platform/chrome: cros_ec_chardev: Consume cros_ec_device via revocable

Tzung-Bi Shih
2026-04-27T14:00:05Z

The cros_ec_chardev driver provides a character device interface to the
ChromeOS EC. A file handle to this device can remain open in userspace
even if the underlying EC device is removed.

This creates a classic use-after-free vulnerability. Any file operation
(ioctl, release, etc.) on the open handle after the EC device has gone
would access a stale pointer, leading to a system crash.

To prevent this, leverage the revocable and convert cros_ec_chardev to a
resource consumer of cros_ec_device.

Signed-off-by: Tzung-Bi Shih <tzungbi@kernel.org>
---
v9:
- New to the series.
- Change revocable API usages accordingly.

v4 - v8:
- Doesn't exist.

v3: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250912081718.3827390-6-tzungbi@kernel.org
- Use specific labels for different cleanup in cros_ec_chardev_open().

v2: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250820081645.847919-6-tzungbi@kernel.org
- Rename "ref_proxy" -> "revocable".
- Fix a sparse warning by removing the redundant __rcu annotation.

v1: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250814091020.1302888-4-tzungbi@kernel.org

---
drivers/platform/chrome/cros_ec_chardev.c | 80 +++++++++++++++++------
1 file changed, 61 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/platform/chrome/cros_ec_chardev.c b/drivers/platform/chrome/cros_ec_chardev.c
index 002be3352100..c597dc92d519 100644
--- a/drivers/platform/chrome/cros_ec_chardev.c
+++ b/drivers/platform/chrome/cros_ec_chardev.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
#include <linux/platform_data/cros_ec_proto.h>
#include <linux/platform_device.h>
#include <linux/poll.h>
+#include <linux/revocable.h>
#include <linux/slab.h>
#include <linux/types.h>
#include <linux/uaccess.h>
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@
#define CROS_MAX_EVENT_LEN PAGE_SIZE

struct chardev_priv {
- struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
+ struct revocable *rev;
struct notifier_block notifier;
wait_queue_head_t wait_event;
unsigned long event_mask;
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ static int ec_get_version(struct chardev_priv *priv, char *str, int maxlen)
};
struct ec_response_get_version *resp;
struct cros_ec_command *msg;
+ struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
int ret;

msg = kzalloc(sizeof(*msg) + sizeof(*resp), GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -64,12 +66,19 @@ static int ec_get_version(struct chardev_priv *priv, char *str, int maxlen)
msg->command = EC_CMD_GET_VERSION + priv->cmd_offset;
msg->insize = sizeof(*resp);

- ret = cros_ec_cmd_xfer_status(priv->ec_dev, msg);
- if (ret < 0) {
- snprintf(str, maxlen,
- "Unknown EC version, returned error: %d\n",
- msg->result);
- goto exit;
+ revocable_try_access_with_scoped(priv->rev, ec_dev) {
+ if (!ec_dev) {
+ ret = -ENODEV;
+ goto exit;
+ }
+
+ ret = cros_ec_cmd_xfer_status(ec_dev, msg);
+ if (ret < 0) {
+ snprintf(str, maxlen,
+ "Unknown EC version, returned error: %d\n",
+ msg->result);
+ goto exit;
+ }
}

resp = (struct ec_response_get_version *)msg->data;
@@ -92,10 +101,15 @@ static int cros_ec_chardev_mkbp_event(struct notifier_block *nb,
{
struct chardev_priv *priv = container_of(nb, struct chardev_priv,
notifier);
- struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev = priv->ec_dev;
+ struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
struct ec_event *event;
- unsigned long event_bit = 1 << ec_dev->event_data.event_type;
- int total_size = sizeof(*event) + ec_dev->event_size;
+ unsigned long event_bit;
+ int total_size;
+
+ revocable_try_access_or_return_err(priv->rev, ec_dev, NOTIFY_DONE);
+
+ event_bit = 1 << ec_dev->event_data.event_type;
+ total_size = sizeof(*event) + ec_dev->event_size;

if (!(event_bit & priv->event_mask) ||
(priv->event_len + total_size) > CROS_MAX_EVENT_LEN)
@@ -166,7 +180,8 @@ static int cros_ec_chardev_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
if (!priv)
return -ENOMEM;

- priv->ec_dev = ec_dev;
+ priv->rev = ec_dev->its_rev;
+ revocable_get(priv->rev);
priv->cmd_offset = ec->cmd_offset;
filp->private_data = priv;
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&priv->events);
@@ -178,6 +193,7 @@ static int cros_ec_chardev_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
&priv->notifier);
if (ret) {
dev_err(ec_dev->dev, "failed to register event notifier\n");
+ revocable_put(priv->rev);
kfree(priv);
}

@@ -251,11 +267,13 @@ static ssize_t cros_ec_chardev_read(struct file *filp, char __user *buffer,
static int cros_ec_chardev_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
{
struct chardev_priv *priv = filp->private_data;
- struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev = priv->ec_dev;
+ struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
struct ec_event *event, *e;

- blocking_notifier_chain_unregister(&ec_dev->event_notifier,
- &priv->notifier);
+ revocable_try_access_or_skip_scoped(priv->rev, ec_dev)
+ blocking_notifier_chain_unregister(&ec_dev->event_notifier,
+ &priv->notifier);
+ revocable_put(priv->rev);

list_for_each_entry_safe(event, e, &priv->events, node) {
list_del(&event->node);
@@ -273,6 +291,7 @@ static long cros_ec_chardev_ioctl_xcmd(struct chardev_priv *priv, void __user *a
{
struct cros_ec_command *s_cmd;
struct cros_ec_command u_cmd;
+ struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
long ret;

if (copy_from_user(&u_cmd, arg, sizeof(u_cmd)))
@@ -299,10 +318,17 @@ static long cros_ec_chardev_ioctl_xcmd(struct chardev_priv *priv, void __user *a
}

s_cmd->command += priv->cmd_offset;
- ret = cros_ec_cmd_xfer(priv->ec_dev, s_cmd);
- /* Only copy data to userland if data was received. */
- if (ret < 0)
- goto exit;
+ revocable_try_access_with_scoped(priv->rev, ec_dev) {
+ if (!ec_dev) {
+ ret = -ENODEV;
+ goto exit;
+ }
+
+ ret = cros_ec_cmd_xfer(ec_dev, s_cmd);
+ /* Only copy data to userland if data was received. */
+ if (ret < 0)
+ goto exit;
+ }

if (copy_to_user(arg, s_cmd, sizeof(*s_cmd) + s_cmd->insize))
ret = -EFAULT;
@@ -313,10 +339,12 @@ static long cros_ec_chardev_ioctl_xcmd(struct chardev_priv *priv, void __user *a

static long cros_ec_chardev_ioctl_readmem(struct chardev_priv *priv, void __user *arg)
{
- struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev = priv->ec_dev;
+ struct cros_ec_device *ec_dev;
struct cros_ec_readmem s_mem = { };
long num;

+ revocable_try_access_or_return(priv->rev, ec_dev);
+
/* Not every platform supports direct reads */
if (!ec_dev->cmd_readmem)
return -ENOTTY;
@@ -370,11 +398,25 @@ static const struct file_operations chardev_fops = {
#endif
};

+static void cros_ec_chardev_free(void *data)
+{
+ struct revocable *rev = data;
+
+ revocable_put(rev);
+}
+
static int cros_ec_chardev_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
{
struct cros_ec_dev *ec = dev_get_drvdata(pdev->dev.parent);
struct cros_ec_platform *ec_platform = dev_get_platdata(ec->dev);
+ struct revocable *rev = ec->ec_dev->its_rev;
struct miscdevice *misc;
+ int ret;
+
+ revocable_get(rev);
+ ret = devm_add_action_or_reset(&pdev->dev, cros_ec_chardev_free, rev);
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;

/* Create a char device: we want to create it anew */
misc = devm_kzalloc(&pdev->dev, sizeof(*misc), GFP_KERNEL);
--
2.51.0