CVE-2022-48921

sched/fair: Fix fault in reweight_entity

Published Aug 22, 2024 CVSS 3.1 · 4.7 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sched/fair: Fix fault in reweight_entity

Syzbot found a GPF in reweight_entity. This has been bisected to
commit 4ef0c5c6b5ba ("kernel/sched: Fix sched_fork() access an invalid
sched_task_group")

There is a race between sched_post_fork() and setpriority(PRIO_PGRP)
within a thread group that causes a null-ptr-deref in
reweight_entity() in CFS. The scenario is that the main process spawns
number of new threads, which then call setpriority(PRIO_PGRP, 0, -20),
wait, and exit. For each of the new threads the copy_process() gets
invoked, which adds the new task_struct and calls sched_post_fork()
for it.

In the above scenario there is a possibility that
setpriority(PRIO_PGRP) and set_one_prio() will be called for a thread
in the group that is just being created by copy_process(), and for
which the sched_post_fork() has not been executed yet. This will
trigger a null pointer dereference in reweight_entity(), as it will
try to access the run queue pointer, which hasn't been set.

Before the mentioned change the cfs_rq pointer for the task has been
set in sched_fork(), which is called much earlier in copy_process(),
before the new task is added to the thread_group. Now it is done in
the sched_post_fork(), which is called after that. To fix the issue
the remove the update_load param from the update_load param() function
and call reweight_task() only if the task flag doesn't have the
TASK_NEW flag set.

Analysis

No analysis available yet

Remediation

No remediation available yet

Tracking

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Advisories

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History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-476
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Weaknesses CWE-362
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.17:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.17:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.17:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/fair: Fix fault in reweight_entity Syzbot found a GPF in reweight_entity. This has been bisected to commit 4ef0c5c6b5ba ("kernel/sched: Fix sched_fork() access an invalid sched_task_group") There is a race between sched_post_fork() and setpriority(PRIO_PGRP) within a thread group that causes a null-ptr-deref in reweight_entity() in CFS. The scenario is that the main process spawns number of new threads, which then call setpriority(PRIO_PGRP, 0, -20), wait, and exit. For each of the new threads the copy_process() gets invoked, which adds the new task_struct and calls sched_post_fork() for it. In the above scenario there is a possibility that setpriority(PRIO_PGRP) and set_one_prio() will be called for a thread in the group that is just being created by copy_process(), and for which the sched_post_fork() has not been executed yet. This will trigger a null pointer dereference in reweight_entity(), as it will try to access the run queue pointer, which hasn't been set. Before the mentioned change the cfs_rq pointer for the task has been set in sched_fork(), which is called much earlier in copy_process(), before the new task is added to the thread_group. Now it is done in the sched_post_fork(), which is called after that. To fix the issue the remove the update_load param from the update_load param() function and call reweight_task() only if the task flag doesn't have the TASK_NEW flag set.
Title sched/fair: Fix fault in reweight_entity
References
Weaknesses
  • CWE-362

    Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

  • CWE-476

    NULL Pointer Dereference

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
May 23, 2026, 3:21 PM
Reserved
Aug 21, 2024, 6:06 AM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Aug 22, 2024, 2:15 AM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 5:16 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Aug 22, 2024, 12:00 AM