[ldv-project] [net] rtl8188ee: a potential race condition

3 messages, 3 authors, 2016-06-24 · open the first message on its own page

[ldv-project] [net] rtl8188ee: a potential race condition

From: Pavel Andrianov <hidden>
Date: 2016-06-10 09:25:26

Hi!

There is a potential data race in 
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8188ee/rtl8188ee.ko.

In the function rtl88ee_gpio_radio_on_off_checking the flag 
ppsc->rfchange_inprogress is set with a spinlock protection. In the 
function rtl_ps_set_rf_state the flag is read also under a spinlock. But 
the function rtl88e_dm_watchdog read it without any locks. As a result 
rtl88e_dm_watchdog may execute the succeeding code while changing (with 
the flag rfchange_inprogress == true). I do not exactly determine the 
consequences, but likely they are not good if there exists such check. 
Could anybody more confident confirm this?

The function rtl_ps_set_rf_state is always called with its parameter 
[protect_or_not == false]. Is this flag really necessary, if the value 
'true' is never used? The function is also set the flag 
ppsc->rfchange_inprogress and may affect the rtl88e_dm_watchdog as in 
the previous case.

-- 
Pavel Andrianov
Linux Verification Center, ISPRAS
web: http://linuxtesting.org
e-mail: andrianov@ispras.ru

Re: [ldv-project] [net] rtl8188ee: a potential race condition

From: Vaishali Thakkar <hidden>
Date: 2016-06-24 14:17:59


On Friday 10 June 2016 01:51 PM, Pavel Andrianov wrote:
Hi!

There is a potential data race in drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8188ee/rtl8188ee.ko.

In the function rtl88ee_gpio_radio_on_off_checking the flag ppsc->rfchange_inprogress is set with a spinlock protection. In the function rtl_ps_set_rf_state the flag is read also under a spinlock. But the function rtl88e_dm_watchdog read it without any locks. As a result rtl88e_dm_watchdog may execute the succeeding code while changing (with the flag rfchange_inprogress == true). I do not exactly determine the consequences, but likely they are not good if there exists such check. Could anybody more confident confirm this?

The function rtl_ps_set_rf_state is always called with its parameter [protect_or_not == false]. Is this flag really necessary, if the value 'true' is never used? The function is also set the flag ppsc->rfchange_inprogress and may affect the rtl88e_dm_watchdog as in the previous case.
I think the patch was sent sometime ago for removing the parameter. But I am not sure why it's not applied.
May be Larry can have better idea about this.

Here, is link to the patch: http://linux-wireless.vger.kernel.narkive.com/mu4t9xxr/patch-3-4-rtlwifi-rtl8192cu-remove-unused-parameter

-- 
Vaishali

Re: [ldv-project] [net] rtl8188ee: a potential race condition

From: Larry Finger <hidden>
Date: 2016-06-24 14:46:16

On 06/24/2016 09:17 AM, Vaishali Thakkar wrote:

On Friday 10 June 2016 01:51 PM, Pavel Andrianov wrote:
quoted
Hi!

There is a potential data race in drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8188ee/rtl8188ee.ko.

In the function rtl88ee_gpio_radio_on_off_checking the flag ppsc->rfchange_inprogress is set with a spinlock protection. In the function rtl_ps_set_rf_state the flag is read also under a spinlock. But the function rtl88e_dm_watchdog read it without any locks. As a result rtl88e_dm_watchdog may execute the succeeding code while changing (with the flag rfchange_inprogress == true). I do not exactly determine the consequences, but likely they are not good if there exists such check. Could anybody more confident confirm this?

The function rtl_ps_set_rf_state is always called with its parameter [protect_or_not == false]. Is this flag really necessary, if the value 'true' is never used? The function is also set the flag ppsc->rfchange_inprogress and may affect the rtl88e_dm_watchdog as in the previous case.
I think the patch was sent sometime ago for removing the parameter. But I am not sure why it's not applied.
May be Larry can have better idea about this.

Here, is link to the patch: http://linux-wireless.vger.kernel.narkive.com/mu4t9xxr/patch-3-4-rtlwifi-rtl8192cu-remove-unused-parameter
The patch for rtl8192cu was applied as commit 4b9d8d67b44a on Jun 20 2011, but 
the unused parameter was reintroduced as part of an update of the power-save 
code with commit d3feae41a347 on Sep 22 2014. My recollection is that Realtek 
envisioned a driver that needed this parameter to be true. As none has yet been 
introduced, I will prepare a patch to remove it again.

I am also testing a patch to remove the race condition in rtl8188ee.

Larry
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