Bug 2327364 (CVE-2024-53054)

Summary: CVE-2024-53054 kernel: cgroup/bpf: use a dedicated workqueue for cgroup bpf destruction
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: dfreiber, drow, jburrell, vkumar
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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[REJECTED CVE] A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel’s cgroup BPF subsystem, where excessive cgroup_bpf_release work items could saturate the system workqueue (system_wq), leading to a deadlock. When a large number of cpuset cgroups are deleted, system_wq fills up, preventing critical tasks like CPU hotplug operations and watchdog reconfiguration from executing. This results in multiple blocked kernel tasks, ultimately causing a system hang. An attacker with the ability to create and delete numerous cpuset cgroups could exploit this by triggering excessive asynchronous deletions, forcing the system into an unresponsive state.
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Bug Depends On: 2327461    
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2024-11-19 18:03:13 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

cgroup/bpf: use a dedicated workqueue for cgroup bpf destruction

A hung_task problem shown below was found:

INFO: task kworker/0:0:8 blocked for more than 327 seconds.
"echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
Workqueue: events cgroup_bpf_release
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 __schedule+0x5a2/0x2050
 ? find_held_lock+0x33/0x100
 ? wq_worker_sleeping+0x9e/0xe0
 schedule+0x9f/0x180
 schedule_preempt_disabled+0x25/0x50
 __mutex_lock+0x512/0x740
 ? cgroup_bpf_release+0x1e/0x4d0
 ? cgroup_bpf_release+0xcf/0x4d0
 ? process_scheduled_works+0x161/0x8a0
 ? cgroup_bpf_release+0x1e/0x4d0
 ? mutex_lock_nested+0x2b/0x40
 ? __pfx_delay_tsc+0x10/0x10
 mutex_lock_nested+0x2b/0x40
 cgroup_bpf_release+0xcf/0x4d0
 ? process_scheduled_works+0x161/0x8a0
 ? trace_event_raw_event_workqueue_execute_start+0x64/0xd0
 ? process_scheduled_works+0x161/0x8a0
 process_scheduled_works+0x23a/0x8a0
 worker_thread+0x231/0x5b0
 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
 kthread+0x14d/0x1c0
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork+0x59/0x70
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30
 </TASK>

This issue can be reproduced by the following pressuse test:
1. A large number of cpuset cgroups are deleted.
2. Set cpu on and off repeatly.
3. Set watchdog_thresh repeatly.
The scripts can be obtained at LINK mentioned above the signature.

The reason for this issue is cgroup_mutex and cpu_hotplug_lock are
acquired in different tasks, which may lead to deadlock.
It can lead to a deadlock through the following steps:
1. A large number of cpusets are deleted asynchronously, which puts a
   large number of cgroup_bpf_release works into system_wq. The max_active
   of system_wq is WQ_DFL_ACTIVE(256). Consequently, all active works are
   cgroup_bpf_release works, and many cgroup_bpf_release works will be put
   into inactive queue. As illustrated in the diagram, there are 256 (in
   the acvtive queue) + n (in the inactive queue) works.
2. Setting watchdog_thresh will hold cpu_hotplug_lock.read and put
   smp_call_on_cpu work into system_wq. However step 1 has already filled
   system_wq, 'sscs.work' is put into inactive queue. 'sscs.work' has
   to wait until the works that were put into the inacvtive queue earlier
   have executed (n cgroup_bpf_release), so it will be blocked for a while.
3. Cpu offline requires cpu_hotplug_lock.write, which is blocked by step 2.
4. Cpusets that were deleted at step 1 put cgroup_release works into
   cgroup_destroy_wq. They are competing to get cgroup_mutex all the time.
   When cgroup_metux is acqured by work at css_killed_work_fn, it will
   call cpuset_css_offline, which needs to acqure cpu_hotplug_lock.read.
   However, cpuset_css_offline will be blocked for step 3.
5. At this moment, there are 256 works in active queue that are
   cgroup_bpf_release, they are attempting to acquire cgroup_mutex, and as
   a result, all of them are blocked. Consequently, sscs.work can not be
   executed. Ultimately, this situation leads to four processes being
   blocked, forming a deadlock.

system_wq(step1)		WatchDog(step2)			cpu offline(step3)	cgroup_destroy_wq(step4)
...
2000+ cgroups deleted asyn
256 actives + n inactives
				__lockup_detector_reconfigure
				P(cpu_hotplug_lock.read)
				put sscs.work into system_wq
256 + n + 1(sscs.work)
sscs.work wait to be executed
				warting sscs.work finish
								percpu_down_write
								P(cpu_hotplug_lock.write)
								...blocking...
											css_killed_work_fn
											P(cgroup_mutex)
											cpuset_css_offline
											P(cpu_hotplug_lock.read)
											...blocking...
256 cgroup_bpf_release
mutex_lock(&cgroup_mutex);
..blocking...

To fix the problem, place cgroup_bpf_release works on a dedicated
workqueue which can break the loop and solve the problem. System wqs are
for misc things which shouldn't create a large number of concurrent work
items. If something is going to generate >
---truncated---

Comment 2 TEJ RATHI 2025-02-20 11:34:17 UTC
This CVE has been rejected upstream:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2024112815-REJECTED-5942@gregkh/