[Devel] Re: [PATCH] Don't attach callback to a going-away netlink socket

[Pavel Emelianov]

Patrick McHardy wrote:
> Pavel Emelianov wrote:
>> From: Denis Lunev <den at openvz.org>
>>
>> There is a race between netlink_dump_start() and netlink_release()
>> that can lead to the situation when a netlink socket with non-zero
>> callback is freed.
> 
> 
> Can you describe the race in more detail please?
> 
> 

Here it is:

CPU1:                           CPU2
netlink_release():              netlink_dump_start():

                                sk = netlink_lookup(); /* OK */

netlink_remove();

spin_lock(&nlk->cb_lock);
if (nlk->cb) { /* false */
  ...
}
spin_unlock(&nlk->cb_lock);

                                spin_lock(&nlk->cb_lock);
                                if (nlk->cb) { /* false */
                                         ...
                                }
                                nlk->cb = cb;
                                spin_unlock(&nlk->cb_lock);
                                ...
sock_orphan(sk);
/*
 * proceed with releasing
 * the socket
 */

The proposal it to make sock_orphan before detaching the callback
in netlink_release() and to check for the sock to be SOCK_DEAD in
netlink_dump_start() before setting a new callback.