CVE-2022-48760: USB: core: Fix hang in usb_kill_urb by adding memory barriers
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
USB: core: Fix hang in usb_kill_urb by adding memory barriers
The syzbot fuzzer has identified a bug in which processes hang waiting
for usb_kill_urb() to return. It turns out the issue is not unlinking
the URB; that works just fine. Rather, the problem arises when the
wakeup notification that the URB has completed is not received.
The reason is memory-access ordering on SMP systems. In outline form,
usb_kill_urb() and __usb_hcd_giveback_urb() operating concurrently on
different CPUs perform the following actions:
CPU 0 CPU 1
---------------------------- ---------------------------------
usb_kill_urb(): __usb_hcd_giveback_urb():
... ...
atomic_inc(&urb->reject); atomic_dec(&urb->use_count);
... ...
wait_event(usb_kill_urb_queue,
atomic_read(&urb->use_count) == 0);
if (atomic_read(&urb->reject))
wake_up(&usb_kill_urb_queue);
Confining your attention to urb->reject and urb->use_count, you can
see that the overall pattern of accesses on CPU 0 is:
write urb->reject, then read urb->use_count;
whereas the overall pattern of accesses on CPU 1 is:
write urb->use_count, then read urb->reject.
This pattern is referred to in memory-model circles as SB (for "Store
Buffering"), and it is well known that without suitable enforcement of
the desired order of accesses -- in the form of memory barriers -- it
is entirely possible for one or both CPUs to execute their reads ahead
of their writes. The end result will be that sometimes CPU 0 sees the
old un-decremented value of urb->use_count while CPU 1 sees the old
un-incremented value of urb->reject. Consequently CPU 0 ends up on
the wait queue and never gets woken up, leading to the observed hang
in usb_kill_urb().
The same pattern of accesses occurs in usb_poison_urb() and the
failure pathway of usb_hcd_submit_urb().
The problem is fixed by adding suitable memory barriers. To provide
proper memory-access ordering in the SB pattern, a full barrier is
required on both CPUs. The atomic_inc() and atomic_dec() accesses
themselves don't provide any memory ordering, but since they are
present, we can use the optimized smp_mb__after_atomic() memory
barrier in the various routines to obtain the desired effect.
This patch adds the necessary memory barriers.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel USB bug that can make processes hang while waiting for USB request cleanup to finish. The source describes a race on multi-CPU systems, found by syzbot, and fixed with memory barriers. It is primarily an availability concern, not a documented data theft or privilege escalation issue.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine-to-prioritized kernel availability fix. It is not supported as actively exploited in the supplied evidence, but affected Linux systems using USB paths should be patched through standard OS maintenance windows.
Technical view
Concurrent usb_kill_urb() and __usb_hcd_giveback_urb() paths can observe stale urb->reject and urb->use_count values because atomic operations lack required ordering. The same store-buffering pattern affects usb_poison_urb() and a usb_hcd_submit_urb() failure path. Stable kernel fixes add smp_mb__after_atomic() barriers.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems running affected Linux kernel versions with USB core code paths in use. The bundle does not map fixes to specific distributions, appliances, or vendor kernels, so asset teams must verify their packaged kernel versions against vendor guidance.
Exploitation context
The bundle reports syzbot discovery and a kernel hang condition. It does not cite public exploitation, KEV listing, exploit availability, remote reachability, or privilege escalation. KEV is false in the supplied data.
Researcher notes
The key issue is memory ordering, not failed URB unlinking. Evidence supports a hang in usb_kill_urb() caused by missed wakeups under an SB access pattern. No CVSS, CWE, attacker prerequisites, or distro-specific affected matrix were provided.
Mitigation direction
Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced stable USB core fixes.
Prioritize endpoints, embedded Linux, appliances, and servers using USB devices.
Check distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on upstream version numbers.
Avoid direct wrangler or unrelated deployment assumptions; this is kernel patch management.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions across affected assets.
Confirm whether vendor kernels include the referenced stable commits or backports.
Review kernel logs for USB-related hangs if operational symptoms exist.
Track remediation through normal OS patch compliance reporting.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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