linux/drivers/media/platform/mediatek/vcodec/encoder
Fan Wu 76e35091ff media: mediatek: vcodec: fix use-after-free in encoder release path
The fops_vcodec_release() function frees the context structure (ctx)
without first cancelling any pending or running work in ctx->encode_work.
This creates a race window where the workqueue handler (mtk_venc_worker)
may still be accessing the context memory after it has been freed.

Race condition:

    CPU 0 (release path)               CPU 1 (workqueue)
    ---------------------               ------------------
    fops_vcodec_release()
      v4l2_m2m_ctx_release()
        v4l2_m2m_cancel_job()
        // waits for m2m job "done"
                                        mtk_venc_worker()
                                          v4l2_m2m_job_finish()
                                          // m2m job "done"
                                          // BUT worker still running!
                                          // post-job_finish access:
                                        other ctx dereferences
                                          // UAF if ctx already freed
        // returns (job "done")
      kfree(ctx)  // ctx freed

Root cause: The v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() only waits for the m2m job
lifecycle (via TRANS_RUNNING flag), not the workqueue lifecycle.
After v4l2_m2m_job_finish() is called, the m2m framework considers
the job complete and v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() returns, but the worker
function continues executing and may still access ctx.

The work is queued during encode operations via:
  queue_work(ctx->dev->encode_workqueue, &ctx->encode_work)
The worker function accesses ctx->m2m_ctx, ctx->dev, and other ctx
fields even after calling v4l2_m2m_job_finish().

This vulnerability was confirmed with KASAN by running an instrumented
test module that widens the post-job_finish race window. KASAN detected:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mtk_venc_worker+0x159/0x180
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff88800326e000 by task kworker/u8:0/12

  Workqueue: mtk_vcodec_enc_wq mtk_venc_worker

  Allocated by task 47:
    __kasan_kmalloc+0x7f/0x90
    fops_vcodec_open+0x85/0x1a0

  Freed by task 47:
    __kasan_slab_free+0x43/0x70
    kfree+0xee/0x3a0
    fops_vcodec_release+0xb7/0x190

Fix this by calling cancel_work_sync(&ctx->encode_work) before kfree(ctx).
This ensures the workqueue handler is both cancelled (if pending) and
synchronized (waits for any running handler to complete) before the
context is freed.

Placement rationale: The fix is placed after v4l2_ctrl_handler_free()
and before list_del_init(&ctx->list). At this point, all m2m operations
are done (v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() has returned), and we need to ensure
the workqueue is synchronized before removing ctx from the list and
freeing it.

Note: The open error path does NOT need cancel_work_sync() because
INIT_WORK() only initializes the work structure - it does not schedule
it. Work is only scheduled later during device_run() operations.

Fixes: 0934d37596 ("media: mediatek: vcodec: separate decoder and encoder")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Fan Wu <fanwu01@zju.edu.cn>
Reviewed-by: Nicolas Dufresne <nicolas.dufresne@collabora.com>
Signed-off-by: Nicolas Dufresne <nicolas.dufresne@collabora.com>
Signed-off-by: Hans Verkuil <hverkuil+cisco@kernel.org>
2026-03-23 11:18:34 +01:00
..
venc Convert 'alloc_obj' family to use the new default GFP_KERNEL argument 2026-02-21 17:09:51 -08:00
Makefile
mtk_vcodec_enc_drv.c media: mediatek: vcodec: fix use-after-free in encoder release path 2026-03-23 11:18:34 +01:00
mtk_vcodec_enc_drv.h media: mediatek: vcodec: Use spinlock for context list protection lock 2025-10-20 09:23:17 +02:00
mtk_vcodec_enc_pm.c media: mediatek: vcodec: Discard pm_runtime_put() return value 2026-01-13 09:41:59 +01:00
mtk_vcodec_enc_pm.h media: mediatek: vcodec: fix possible unbalanced PM counter 2024-04-27 10:04:30 +02:00
mtk_vcodec_enc.c media: mediatek: vcodec: use = { } instead of memset() 2026-01-05 15:56:31 +01:00
mtk_vcodec_enc.h media: mediatek: vcodec: Fix kerneldoc 2024-02-05 12:57:45 +01:00
venc_drv_base.h
venc_drv_if.c media: mediatek: vcodec: fix possible unbalanced PM counter 2024-04-27 10:04:30 +02:00
venc_drv_if.h media: mediatek: vcodec: Fix multiple typos 2024-03-25 10:13:43 +01:00
venc_ipi_msg.h
venc_vpu_if.c media: mediatek: vcodec: use = { } instead of memset() 2026-01-05 15:56:31 +01:00
venc_vpu_if.h