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CVE-2024-43869 Not scored

perf: Fix event leak upon exec and file release

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Fix event leak upon exec and file release The perf pending task work is never waited upon the matching event release. In the case of a child event, released via free_event() directly, this can potentially result in a leaked event, such as in the following scenario that doesn't even require a weak IRQ work implementation to trigger: schedule() prepare_task_switch() =======> <NMI> perf_event_overflow() event->pending_sigtrap = ... irq_work_queue(&event->pending_irq) <======= </NMI> perf_event_task_sched_out() event_sched_out() event->pending_sigtrap = 0; atomic_long_inc_not_zero(&event->refcount) task_work_add(&event->pending_task) finish_lock_switch() =======> <IRQ> perf_pending_irq() //do nothing, rely on pending task work <======= </IRQ> begin_new_exec() perf_event_exit_task() perf_event_exit_event() // If is child event free_event() WARN(atomic_long_cmpxchg(&event->refcount, 1, 0) != 1) // event is leaked Similar scenarios can also happen with perf_event_remove_on_exec() or simply against concurrent perf_event_release(). Fix this with synchonizing against the possibly remaining pending task work while freeing the event, just like is done with remaining pending IRQ work. This means that the pending task callback neither need nor should hold a reference to the event, preventing it from ever beeing freed.

Exploit probability 0.2%
Published August 21, 2024
Required by Not available
Last source change August 12, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Linux Kernel
Unknown Unknown

838 explicit affected versions

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities CVE-2024-43869

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Fix event leak upon exec and file release The perf pending task work is never waited upon the matching event release. In the case of a child event, released via free_event() directly, this can potentially result in a leaked event, such as in the following scenario that doesn't even require a weak IRQ work implementation to trigger: schedule() prepare_task_switch() =======> <NMI> perf_event_overflow() event->pending_sigtrap = ... irq_work_queue(&event->pending_irq) <======= </NMI> perf_event_task_sched_out() event_sched_out() event->pending_sigtrap = 0; atomic_long_inc_not_zero(&event->refcount) task_work_add(&event->pending_task) finish_lock_switch() =======> <IRQ> perf_pending_irq() //do nothing, rely on pending task work <======= </IRQ> begin_new_exec() perf_event_exit_task() perf_event_exit_event() // If is child event free_event() WARN(atomic_long_cmpxchg(&event->refcount, 1, 0) != 1) // event is leaked Similar scenarios can also happen with perf_event_remove_on_exec() or simply against concurrent perf_event_release(). Fix this with synchonizing against the possibly remaining pending task work while freeing the event, just like is done with remaining pending IRQ work. This means that the pending task callback neither need nor should hold a reference to the event, preventing it from ever beeing freed.

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05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence