[PATCH v2] powernv/elog: Fix the race while processing OPAL error log event.

[Mahesh Salgaonkar]

Every error log reported by OPAL is exported to userspace through a sysfs
interface and notified using kobject_uevent(). The userspace daemon
(opal_errd) then reads the error log and acknowledges it error log is saved
safely to disk. Once acknowledged the kernel removes the respective sysfs
file entry causing respective resources getting released including kobject.

However there are chances where user daemon may already be scanning elog
entries while new sysfs elog entry is being created by kernel. User daemon
may read this new entry and ack it even before kernel can notify userspace
about it through kobject_uevent() call. If that happens then we have a
potential race between elog_ack_store->kobject_put() and kobject_uevent
which can lead to use-after-free issue of a kernfs object resulting into a
kernel crash. This patch fixes this race by protecting a sysfs file
creation/notification by holding an additional reference count on kobject
until we safely send kobject_uevent().

Reported-by: Oliver O'Halloran <oohall at gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Mahesh Salgaonkar <mahesh at linux.ibm.com>
Signed-off-by: Aneesh Kumar K.V <aneesh.kumar at linux.ibm.com>
---
Change in v2:
- Instead of mutex and use extra reference count on kobject to avoid the
  race.
---
 arch/powerpc/platforms/powernv/opal-elog.c |   15 +++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+)

diff --git a/arch/powerpc/platforms/powernv/opal-elog.c b/arch/powerpc/platforms/powernv/opal-elog.c
index 62ef7ad995da..230f102e87c0 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/platforms/powernv/opal-elog.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/platforms/powernv/opal-elog.c
@@ -222,13 +222,28 @@ static struct elog_obj *create_elog_obj(uint64_t id, size_t size, uint64_t type)
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * As soon as sysfs file for this elog is created/activated there is
+	 * chance opal_errd daemon might read and acknowledge this elog before
+	 * kobject_uevent() is called. If that happens then we have a potential
+	 * race between elog_ack_store->kobject_put() and kobject_uevent which
+	 * leads to use-after-free issue of a kernfs object resulting into
+	 * kernel crash. To avoid this race take an additional reference count
+	 * on kobject until we safely send kobject_uevent().
+	 */
+
+	kobject_get(&elog->kobj);  /* extra reference count */
 	rc = sysfs_create_bin_file(&elog->kobj, &elog->raw_attr);
 	if (rc) {
+		kobject_put(&elog->kobj);
+		/* Drop the extra reference count  */
 		kobject_put(&elog->kobj);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	kobject_uevent(&elog->kobj, KOBJ_ADD);
+	/* Drop the extra reference count  */
+	kobject_put(&elog->kobj);
 
 	return elog;
 }