CVE-2024-57896: btrfs: flush delalloc workers queue before stopping cleaner kthread during unmount
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
btrfs: flush delalloc workers queue before stopping cleaner kthread during unmount
During the unmount path, at close_ctree(), we first stop the cleaner
kthread, using kthread_stop() which frees the associated task_struct, and
then stop and destroy all the work queues. However after we stopped the
cleaner we may still have a worker from the delalloc_workers queue running
inode.c:submit_compressed_extents(), which calls btrfs_add_delayed_iput(),
which in turn tries to wake up the cleaner kthread - which was already
destroyed before, resulting in a use-after-free on the task_struct.
Syzbot reported this with the following stack traces:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __lock_acquire+0x78/0x2100 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5089
Read of size 8 at addr ffff8880259d2818 by task kworker/u8:3/52
CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 52 Comm: kworker/u8:3 Not tainted 6.13.0-rc1-syzkaller-00002-gcdd30ebb1b9f #0
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 09/13/2024
Workqueue: btrfs-delalloc btrfs_work_helper
Call Trace:
<TASK>
__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline]
dump_stack_lvl+0x241/0x360 lib/dump_stack.c:120
print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:378 [inline]
print_report+0x169/0x550 mm/kasan/report.c:489
kasan_report+0x143/0x180 mm/kasan/report.c:602
__lock_acquire+0x78/0x2100 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5089
lock_acquire+0x1ed/0x550 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5849
__raw_spin_lock_irqsave include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:110 [inline]
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0xd5/0x120 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:162
class_raw_spinlock_irqsave_constructor include/linux/spinlock.h:551 [inline]
try_to_wake_up+0xc2/0x1470 kernel/sched/core.c:4205
submit_compressed_extents+0xdf/0x16e0 fs/btrfs/inode.c:1615
run_ordered_work fs/btrfs/async-thread.c:288 [inline]
btrfs_work_helper+0x96f/0xc40 fs/btrfs/async-thread.c:324
process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3229 [inline]
process_scheduled_works+0xa66/0x1840 kernel/workqueue.c:3310
worker_thread+0x870/0xd30 kernel/workqueue.c:3391
kthread+0x2f0/0x390 kernel/kthread.c:389
ret_from_fork+0x4b/0x80 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:244
</TASK>
Allocated by task 2:
kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline]
kasan_save_track+0x3f/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68
unpoison_slab_object mm/kasan/common.c:319 [inline]
__kasan_slab_alloc+0x66/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:345
kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:250 [inline]
slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:4104 [inline]
slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:4153 [inline]
kmem_cache_alloc_node_noprof+0x1d9/0x380 mm/slub.c:4205
alloc_task_struct_node kernel/fork.c:180 [inline]
dup_task_struct+0x57/0x8c0 kernel/fork.c:1113
copy_process+0x5d1/0x3d50 kernel/fork.c:2225
kernel_clone+0x223/0x870 kernel/fork.c:2807
kernel_thread+0x1bc/0x240 kernel/fork.c:2869
create_kthread kernel/kthread.c:412 [inline]
kthreadd+0x60d/0x810 kernel/kthread.c:767
ret_from_fork+0x4b/0x80 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:244
Freed by task 24:
kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline]
kasan_save_track+0x3f/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68
kasan_save_free_info+0x40/0x50 mm/kasan/generic.c:582
poison_slab_object mm/kasan/common.c:247 [inline]
__kasan_slab_free+0x59/0x70 mm/kasan/common.c:264
kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:233 [inline]
slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:2338 [inline]
slab_free mm/slub.c:4598 [inline]
kmem_cache_free+0x195/0x410 mm/slub.c:4700
put_task_struct include/linux/sched/task.h:144 [inline]
delayed_put_task_struct+0x125/0x300 kernel/exit.c:227
rcu_do_batch kernel/rcu/tree.c:2567 [inline]
rcu_core+0xaaa/0x17a0 kernel/rcu/tree.c:2823
handle_softirqs+0x2d4/0x9b0 kernel/softirq.c:554
run_ksoftirqd+0xca/0x130 kernel/softirq.c:943
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A timing flaw in Linux Btrfs shutdown can leave background work accessing a cleaner thread after its memory has been freed. It occurs during filesystem unmount and may crash the kernel or corrupt kernel memory. The supplied assessment rates it high severity, but does not establish real-world attacks.
Executive priority
Treat this as accelerated kernel maintenance for Btrfs-dependent systems, especially where workload-driven unmounts occur. Systems without Btrfs usage are lower operational priority. With no supplied evidence of active exploitation, an emergency internet-wide incident response is not justified by these sources.
Technical view
During close_ctree(), Btrfs stopped and freed the cleaner kthread before draining delalloc workers. A compressed-extents worker could subsequently call btrfs_add_delayed_iput() and attempt to wake the freed task_struct, causing a CWE-416 use-after-free. The stable fixes flush the delalloc queue before stopping the cleaner thread.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is limited to systems running affected Linux kernels and using Btrfs, particularly during unmounts with pending compressed-write work. The bundle identifies affected releases spanning Linux 5.0 to 6.13. Exact distribution exposure requires checking vendor backports because the supplied version data is incomplete.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is established. The bundle marks KEV false and describes a Syzbot/KASAN discovery, not attacks in the wild. The CVSS vector indicates local, low-complexity, low-privilege access without user interaction, but the evidence does not demonstrate a practical privilege-escalation or code-execution chain.
Researcher notes
This is a concurrency-dependent lifetime bug, not a demonstrated standalone exploit. Analysis should focus on patch presence and teardown ordering: delalloc work must drain before cleaner-thread destruction. The bundle is truncated and lacks complete version-range semantics or evidence substantiating every CVSS impact, so downstream advisories should govern exact applicability.
Mitigation direction
Apply a distribution kernel update containing the applicable Linux stable fix.
If updates cannot be immediate, consult vendor guidance; the supplied sources document no specific workaround.
Prioritize Btrfs systems with frequent unmounts or compressed-write workloads.
Check downstream backports instead of relying solely on upstream kernel version numbers.
Validation and detection
Inventory kernel package versions and identify systems using mounted or configured Btrfs filesystems.
Confirm vendor changelogs or kernel sources include the applicable CVE-2024-57896 stable fix.
Review kernel crash, KASAN, and use-after-free telemetry associated with Btrfs unmount events.
Validate the updated kernel in a controlled non-production environment before broad rollout.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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cwe · low confidence lookup
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
2CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
9Source links
SSVC decision data
CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: total
CVSS vector scores
2 official scores
We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
CWE-416 · source CWE mapping
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.