[PATCH v2] irq_work: Fix use-after-free in irq_work_single on PREEMPT_RT
From: Jiayuan Chen
Date: Mon Mar 30 2026 - 03:40:01 EST
On PREEMPT_RT, non-HARD irq_work runs in per-CPU kthreads via
run_irq_workd(), so irq_work_sync() uses rcuwait to wait for
BUSY==0.
After irq_work_single() clears BUSY via atomic_cmpxchg(), it still
dereferences @work for irq_work_is_hard() and rcuwait_wake_up().
An irq_work_sync() caller on another CPU that enters after BUSY is
cleared can observe BUSY==0 immediately, return, and free the work
before those accesses complete — causing a use-after-free.
Fix this by wrapping run_irq_workd() in guard(rcu)() so that the
entire irq_work_single() execution is within an RCU read-side
critical section. Then add synchronize_rcu() in irq_work_sync()
after rcuwait_wait_event() to ensure the caller waits for the RCU
grace period before returning, preventing premature frees.
Fixes: 810979682ccc ("irq_work: Allow irq_work_sync() to sleep if irq_work() no IRQ support.")
Suggested-by: Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Suggested-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Jiayuan Chen <jiayuan.chen@xxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/irq_work.c | 7 +++++++
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)
diff --git a/kernel/irq_work.c b/kernel/irq_work.c
index 73f7e1fd4ab4..bf411656c316 100644
--- a/kernel/irq_work.c
+++ b/kernel/irq_work.c
@@ -292,6 +292,12 @@ void irq_work_sync(struct irq_work *work)
!arch_irq_work_has_interrupt()) {
rcuwait_wait_event(&work->irqwait, !irq_work_is_busy(work),
TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE);
+ /*
+ * Ensure irq_work_single() does not access @work
+ * after removing IRQ_WORK_BUSY. It is always
+ * accessed within a RCU-read section.
+ */
+ synchronize_rcu();
return;
}
@@ -302,6 +308,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(irq_work_sync);
static void run_irq_workd(unsigned int cpu)
{
+ guard(rcu)();
irq_work_run_list(this_cpu_ptr(&lazy_list));
}
--
2.43.0