CRITICAL Introduced in 4.20
nfsd AsyncCopy UAF
CVE-2026-89675
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI7.5HIGH
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix UAF in async copy cancel and shutdown An async copy could be freed or used after free while a teardown caller (OFFLOAD_CANCEL, nfsd4_shutdown_copy, nfsd4_cancel_copy_by_sb) raced the copy kthread: - find_async_copy() bumped copy->refcount but left the copy on clp->async_copies, so the reaper's cleanup_async_copy() could run release_copy_files() concurrently with a cancel/shutdown caller. Both put and NULL nf_src/nf_dst without a common lock, double-putting the nfsd_file and freeing it early. - nfsd4_do_async_copy() set NFSD4_COPY_F_STOPPED before its final uses of the copy (nfsd_update_cmtime_attr() on copy->nf_dst, nfsd4_send_cb_offload()). nfsd4_stop_copy() treats a set STOPPED bit as "kthread done, skip kthread_stop()", so a teardown caller ran release_copy_files() -- which puts and NULLs nf_dst -- while the kthread still dereferenced it (NULL/UAF). - copy->copy_task was never pinned. The one-shot kthread self-reaps on return, so kthread_stop()'s get_task_struct() could touch a freed task_struct. - co_cb is embedded in the copy, but nfsd4_send_cb_offload() held a reference only on the client, so a concurrent teardown could free the copy while the CB_OFFLOAD callback was in flight. Fix the teardown lifetime as a whole: - find_async_copy() unlinks the copy (clear cp_clp, list_del_init) under async_lock; the cancel, shutdown, and sb-cancel paths drop the list-membership reference via nfs4_put_copy() after nfsd4_stop_copy(). Drop the now-redundant list_del fixup from cleanup_async_copy(). - Because unlinking hides the copy from the reaper, its cleanup_async_copy() can no longer remove the copy's s2s_cp_stateids entry; the cancel/shutdown/sb-cancel paths now call nfs4_free_copy_state() themselves (while cp_clp is still valid) so the entry does not dangle at freed memory for the laundromat and manage_cpntf_state() to dereference. - Give the kthread its own reference, taken in nfsd4_copy() before wake_up_process() and dropped at the end of nfsd4_do_async_copy(); call wake_up_process() before list_add(). - Pin the task_struct with get_task_struct() in nfsd4_copy(), released in nfs4_put_copy(), so kthread_stop() is safe whenever the kthread exits. Set NFSD4_COPY_F_STOPPED only in nfsd4_stop_copy(), which now always kthread_stop()s before release_copy_files(); completion is still reported via NFSD4_COPY_F_COMPLETED, so nfsd4_has_active_async_copies() is unaffected. Each teardown caller removes the copy from clp->async_copies first, so kthread_stop() runs exactly once. - Take a copy reference in nfsd4_send_cb_offload(), dropped in nfsd4_cb_offload_release(). The kthread still holds its own reference there, so the refcount_inc() cannot race the final free. - Read cp_clp with smp_load_acquire() to pair with the unordered set_bit()/clear_bit() writers (Documentation/atomic_bitops.rst).
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
An NFS client can trigger a use-after-free in the kernel NFS server's async copy teardown path by racing an OFFLOAD_CANCEL against the in-progress copy kthread. This can corrupt kernel heap memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or a kernel panic. Any system running nfsd with NFSv4.2 async copy enabled and accessible to clients is at risk.
Vulnerability analysis
The kernel NFS server's asynchronous copy feature has multiple use-after-free flaws in its teardown path. When an NFS client initiates an async copy and then races a cancellation request against the background copy worker — or when the server performs client shutdown or storage-volume cancellation — the copy object and its associated file references can be freed while the worker thread or an in-flight callback still needs them. The original code failed to pin the worker thread's control structure, marked completion too early, and did not hold a reference on the copy object for the callback path, allowing concurrent cleanup to free memory out from under active users. The fix reworks the teardown lifetime: it removes the copy from tracking lists under lock before cleanup begins, pins the worker thread and its task structure with explicit references, delays releasing resources until after the worker has exited, and holds a reference on the copy object for the duration of the completion callback. An authorized NFS client can trigger this remotely by issuing a copy request followed by a timely cancellation; valid client credentials are the only requirement.
Lifecycle
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Introduced | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.18 | 4.20 | 6.18.51 | 9031493ef736 |
| 7.2 | 4.20 | 7.2.4 | a385cf5e016b |
| mainline | 4.20 | 7.3-rc1 | 62c0f6eaf050 |