CVE-2024-38598: md: fix resync softlockup when bitmap size is less than array size
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
md: fix resync softlockup when bitmap size is less than array size
Is is reported that for dm-raid10, lvextend + lvchange --syncaction will
trigger following softlockup:
kernel:watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 26s! [mdX_resync:6976]
CPU: 7 PID: 3588 Comm: mdX_resync Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.9.0-rc4-next-20240419 #1
RIP: 0010:_raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x13/0x30
Call Trace:
<TASK>
md_bitmap_start_sync+0x6b/0xf0
raid10_sync_request+0x25c/0x1b40 [raid10]
md_do_sync+0x64b/0x1020
md_thread+0xa7/0x170
kthread+0xcf/0x100
ret_from_fork+0x30/0x50
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
And the detailed process is as follows:
md_do_sync
j = mddev->resync_min
while (j < max_sectors)
sectors = raid10_sync_request(mddev, j, &skipped)
if (!md_bitmap_start_sync(..., &sync_blocks))
// md_bitmap_start_sync set sync_blocks to 0
return sync_blocks + sectors_skippe;
// sectors = 0;
j += sectors;
// j never change
Root cause is that commit 301867b1c168 ("md/raid10: check
slab-out-of-bounds in md_bitmap_get_counter") return early from
md_bitmap_get_counter(), without setting returned blocks.
Fix this problem by always set returned blocks from
md_bitmap_get_counter"(), as it used to be.
Noted that this patch just fix the softlockup problem in kernel, the
case that bitmap size doesn't match array size still need to be fixed.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel issue can make RAID resynchronization loop without progress and trigger a CPU soft lockup. The reported case involves dm-raid10 after storage expansion and a manual sync action when the bitmap size is smaller than the array size. Business impact is mainly availability risk on systems using affected Linux MD RAID paths.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted availability issue, not a broad remote compromise signal. Prioritize patching storage-heavy Linux systems where RAID resync interruptions could affect production resilience, recovery time, or maintenance windows.
Technical view
The flaw is in Linux kernel md bitmap resync handling. A prior change could return early from md_bitmap_get_counter without setting the returned block count. md_do_sync then receives zero progress from raid10_sync_request, so the resync position never advances and mdX_resync can soft lock up.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using MD RAID or dm-raid10 with bitmap metadata, especially after array growth or resync operations. The bundle lists Linux kernel affected entries and multiple stable kernel commit references, but exact distro exposure requires vendor kernel mapping.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe a triggered soft lockup scenario, not active exploitation. KEV is false, and no cited source states exploitation in the wild. The condition appears operationally specific: mismatched bitmap and array size during RAID resync paths.
Researcher notes
The root cause is zero progress propagation after md_bitmap_get_counter returns early without setting blocks. The source explicitly notes the patch fixes the kernel softlockup, while the underlying bitmap-size mismatch still needs separate correction.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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