[PATCH v3] firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()

[PATCH v3] firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()

[Guangshuo Li]

firmware_upload_register()
  -> fw_create_instance()
     -> device_initialize()

After fw_create_instance() succeeds, the lifetime of the embedded struct
device is expected to be managed through the device core reference
counting, since fw_create_instance() has already called
device_initialize().

In firmware_upload_register(), if alloc_lookup_fw_priv() fails after
fw_create_instance() succeeds, the code reaches free_fw_sysfs and frees
fw_sysfs directly instead of releasing the device reference with
put_device(). This may leave the reference count of the embedded struct
device unbalanced, resulting in a refcount leak.

The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and
confirmed by manual review. Fix this by using put_device(fw_dev) in the
failure path and letting fw_dev_release() handle the final cleanup,
instead of freeing the instance directly from the error path.

Fixes: 97730bbb242c ("firmware_loader: Add firmware-upload support")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Guangshuo Li <lgs201920130244@gmail.com>
---
v3:
  - Move fw_sysfs->fw_upload_priv assignment after fw_sysfs->fw_priv is
    initialized, so the alloc_lookup_fw_priv() failure path does not enter
    fw_upload_free() with an uninitialized fw_sysfs->fw_priv.
  - On alloc_lookup_fw_priv() failure, call put_device(fw_dev) and then
    free fw_upload_priv and fw_upload explicitly.

v2:
  - Remove the free_fw_sysfs label.
  - Call put_device(fw_dev) directly in the alloc_lookup_fw_priv() failure
    path and jump to exit_module_put.

 drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c | 8 +++-----
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c b/drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c
index f59a7856934c..efc33294212f 100644
--- a/drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c
+++ b/drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c
@@ -343,7 +343,6 @@ firmware_upload_register(struct module *module, struct device *parent,
 		goto free_fw_upload_priv;
 	}
 	fw_upload->priv = fw_sysfs;
-	fw_sysfs->fw_upload_priv = fw_upload_priv;
 	fw_dev = &fw_sysfs->dev;
 
 	ret = alloc_lookup_fw_priv(name, &fw_cache, &fw_priv,  NULL, 0, 0,
@@ -351,10 +350,12 @@ firmware_upload_register(struct module *module, struct device *parent,
 	if (ret != 0) {
 		if (ret > 0)
 			ret = -EINVAL;
-		goto free_fw_sysfs;
+		put_device(fw_dev);
+		goto free_fw_upload_priv;
 	}
 	fw_priv->is_paged_buf = true;
 	fw_sysfs->fw_priv = fw_priv;
+	fw_sysfs->fw_upload_priv = fw_upload_priv;
 
 	ret = device_add(fw_dev);
 	if (ret) {
@@ -365,9 +366,6 @@ firmware_upload_register(struct module *module, struct device *parent,
 
 	return fw_upload;
 
-free_fw_sysfs:
-	kfree(fw_sysfs);
-
 free_fw_upload_priv:
 	kfree(fw_upload_priv);
 
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH v3] firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()

[Danilo Krummrich]

On Tue,  5 May 2026 17:12:31 +0800, Guangshuo Li wrote:
> [PATCH v3] firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()

Applied, thanks!

  Branch: driver-core-next
  Tree:   git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/driver-core/driver-core.git

[1/1] firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()
      commit: 896df22ee576

The patch will appear in the next linux-next integration (typically within 24
hours on weekdays).

The patch is queued up for the upcoming merge window for the next major kernel
release.