Bug 2481954 (CVE-2026-46025)

Summary: CVE-2026-46025 kernel: mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
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Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's DAMON (Data Access MONitor) core. A race condition between the `damon_call()` function and the `kdamond_fn()` exit process can lead to system instability. This can cause threads waiting for `damon_call()` requests to enter an infinite wait state, resulting in a deadlock. In specific configurations, this issue may also result in a memory leak.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-05-27 15:04:07 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race

Patch series "mm/damon/core: fix damon_call()/damos_walk() vs kdmond exit
race".

damon_call() and damos_walk() can leak memory and/or deadlock when they
race with kdamond terminations.  Fix those.


This patch (of 2);

When kdamond_fn() main loop is finished, the function cancels all
remaining damon_call() requests and unset the damon_ctx->kdamond so that
API callers and API functions themselves can know the context is
terminated.  damon_call() adds the caller's request to the queue first. 
After that, it shows if the kdamond of the damon_ctx is still running
(damon_ctx->kdamond is set).  Only if the kdamond is running, damon_call()
starts waiting for the kdamond's handling of the newly added request.

The damon_call() requests registration and damon_ctx->kdamond unset are
protected by different mutexes, though.  Hence, damon_call() could race
with damon_ctx->kdamond unset, and result in deadlocks.

For example, let's suppose kdamond successfully finished the damon_call()
requests cancelling.  Right after that, damon_call() is called for the
context.  It registers the new request, and shows the context is still
running, because damon_ctx->kdamond unset is not yet done.  Hence the
damon_call() caller starts waiting for the handling of the request. 
However, the kdamond is already on the termination steps, so it never
handles the new request.  As a result, the damon_call() caller threads
infinitely waits.

Fix this by introducing another damon_ctx field, namely
call_controls_obsolete.  It is protected by the
damon_ctx->call_controls_lock, which protects damon_call() requests
registration.  Initialize (unset) it in kdamond_fn() before letting
damon_start() returns and set it just before the cancelling of remaining
damon_call() requests is executed.  damon_call() reads the obsolete field
under the lock and avoids adding a new request.

After this change, only requests that are guaranteed to be handled or
cancelled are registered.  Hence the after-registration DAMON context
termination check is no longer needed.  Remove it together.

Note that the deadlock will not happen when damon_call() is called for
repeat mode request.  In tis case, damon_call() returns instead of waiting
for the handling when the request registration succeeds and it shows the
kdamond is running.  However, if the request also has dealloc_on_cancel,
the request memory would be leaked.

The issue is found by sashiko [1].