Re: [PATCH v5] x86/sgx: Fix use-after-free in sgx_mmu_notifier_release()

Dave Hansen
2021-01-28T16:36:21Z

On 1/28/21 4:58 AM, Jarkko Sakkinen wrote:
> The most trivial example of a race condition can be demonstrated by this
> sequence where mm_list contains just one entry:
>
> CPU A CPU B
> -> sgx_release()
> -> sgx_mmu_notifier_release()
> -> list_del_rcu()
> <- list_del_rcu()
> -> kref_put()
> -> sgx_encl_release()
> -> synchronize_srcu()
> -> cleanup_srcu_struct()

This is missing some key details including a clear, unambiguous, problem
statement. To me, the patch should concentrate on the SRCU warning
since that's where we started. Here's the detail that needs to be added
about the issue and the locking in general in this path:

sgx_release() also does this:

mmu_notifier_unregister(&encl_mm->mmu_notifier, encl_mm->mm);

which does another synchronize_srcu() on the mmu_notifier's srcu_struct.
*But*, it only does this if its own list_del_rcu() is successful. It
does all of this before the kref_put().

In other words, sgx_release() can *only* get to this buggy path if
sgx_mmu_notifier_release() races with sgx_release and does a
list_del_rcu() first.

The key to this patch is that the sgx_mmu_notifier_release() will now
take an 'encl' reference in that case, which prevents kref_put() from
calling sgx_release() which cleans up and frees 'encl'.

I was actually also hoping to see some better comments about the new
refcount, and the locking in general. There are *TWO* struct_srcu's in
play, a spinlock and a refcount. I took me several days with Sean and
your help to identify the actual path and get a proper fix (versions 1-4
did *not* fix the race).

Also, the use-after-free is *fixed* in sgx_mmu_notifier_release() but
does not *occur* in sgx_mmu_notifier_release(). The subject here is a
bit misleading in that regard.