CVE-2026-99205
sched/core: Call wakeup_preempt() for queued tasks during class change
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sched/core: Call wakeup_preempt() for queued tasks during class change
Paul reported recent RCU changes exposed a lost resched where CPU idles
with a rcutorture thread waiting while being completely runnable.
Dumping the rq state at the time of idling with runnable tasks showed
the following:
rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class
rq->nr_running = 1
rq->cfs.h_nr_queued = 0
rq->rt.rt_nr_running = 1
Although the waiting task was an RT task, "rq->next_class" did not point
to rt_sched_class and was stuck at the lower priority fair_sched_class.
Inspecting sched_change_end() revealed the following race with
__sched_setscheduler() for queued, but non-running tasks:
CPU0 CPU1
==== ====
__schedule()
/*
* rq->donor is a fair task that blocks.
* rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class
*/
rq_lock(rq0)
pick_next_task()
/* nr_running = 0 */
pick_task_fair()
sched_balance_newidle()
raw_spin_rq_unlock(rq0)
rq_lock(rq0)
activate_task(rq0, p)
/* p is a fair task */
rq0->nr_running++;
rq0->cfs.h_nr_queued++;
wakeup_preempt(rq, p)
rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class
resched_curr()
rq_unlock(rq0)
__sched_setscheduler(p)
/* p is moved to SCHED_RR */
task_rq_lock(p)
sched_change_begin()
rq0->cfs.h_nr_queued--;
rq0->rt.rt_nr_running++;
sched_change_end()
/*
* p->on_rq = 1 (ctx->queued)
* but p is not rq->donor
* (!ctx->running) hence
* resched_curr() is and
* rq->next_class upgrade is
* skipped.
*/
task_rq_unlock()
raw_spin_rq_lock(rq0)
/*
* rq->nr_running = 1
* rq->cfs.h_nr_queued = 0
* rq->rt.rt_nr_running = 1
* rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class
*/
if (rq->cfs.h_nr_queued && ...)
/* Above is false */
if (rq_modified_above(this_rq, &fair_sched_class))
/* Also false since rq->next_class is still fair */
/*
* sched_balance_newidle() is considered to
* have failed to pull any fair tasks and no
* other wakeups were detected.
*/
return NULL; /* pick_task_fair() */
pick_task_idle()
return rq->idle;
next = rq->idle;
/* Preemption indicators are lost */
clear_tsk_need_resched(prev);
clear_preempt_need_resched();
rq->curr = rq->idle;
!!! rq->idle switches in with rq->running == 1 but !need_resched() !!!
In simple words, enqueue, followed by a class change of the newly queued
task goes unnoticed in rq->next_class indicator and
sched_balance_newidle() sees no fair task, nor any higher priority task
enqueued.
The above sequence will lead to CPU idling with a runnable task on the
CPU.
Call wakeup_preempt() for ctx->queued cases in sched_change_end() to
re-evaluate rq->next_class after class change (ENQUEUE_CLASS) and set
the NEED_RESCHED indicator accordingly.
Newidle balance will correctly see an enqueue of a higher priority
t
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