CVE-2026-31769
gpib: fix use-after-free in IO ioctl handlers
- State
- Published
- Severity
- 7.8 High
- Published
- May 1, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Reserved
- Mar 9, 2026
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
gpib: fix use-after-free in IO ioctl handlers
The IBRD, IBWRT, IBCMD, and IBWAIT ioctl handlers use a gpib_descriptor pointer after board->big_gpib_mutex has been released. A concurrent IBCLOSEDEV ioctl can free the descriptor via close_dev_ioctl() during this window, causing a use-after-free.
The IO handlers (read_ioctl, write_ioctl, command_ioctl) explicitly release big_gpib_mutex before calling their handler. wait_ioctl() is called with big_gpib_mutex held, but ibwait() releases it internally when wait_mask is non-zero. In all four cases, the descriptor pointer obtained from handle_to_descriptor() becomes unprotected.
Fix this by introducing a kernel-only descriptor_busy reference count in struct gpib_descriptor. Each handler atomically increments descriptor_busy under file_priv->descriptors_mutex before releasing the lock, and decrements it when done. close_dev_ioctl() checks descriptor_busy under the same lock and rejects the close with -EBUSY if the count is non-zero.
A reference count rather than a simple flag is necessary because multiple handlers can operate on the same descriptor concurrently (e.g. IBRD and IBWAIT on the same handle from different threads).
A separate counter is needed because io_in_progress can be cleared from unprivileged userspace via the IBWAIT ioctl (through general_ibstatus() with set_mask containing CMPL), which would allow an attacker to bypass a check based solely on io_in_progress. The new descriptor_busy counter is only modified by the kernel IO paths.
The lock ordering is consistent (big_gpib_mutex -> descriptors_mutex) and the handlers only hold descriptors_mutex briefly during the lookup, so there is no deadlock risk and no impact on IO throughput.
Scores
| CVSS | Score | Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 7.8 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | Linux |
Weaknesses
The record names no weakness.
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
LinuxLinux |
|
LinuxLinux |
|
References
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