In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm: swap: fix race between free_swap_and_cache() and swapoff()

There was previously a theoretical window where swapoff() could run and
teardown a swap_info_struct while a call to free_swap_and_cache() was
running in another thread. This could cause, amongst other bad
possibilities, swap_page_trans_huge_swapped() (called by
free_swap_and_cache()) to access the freed memory for swap_map.

This is a theoretical problem and I haven't been able to provoke it from a
test case. But there has been agreement based on code review that this is
possible (see link below).

Fix it by using get_swap_device()/put_swap_device(), which will stall
swapoff(). There was an extra check in _swap_info_get() to confirm that
the swap entry was not free. This isn't present in get_swap_device()
because it doesn't make sense in general due to the race between getting
the reference and swapoff. So I've added an equivalent check directly in
free_swap_and_cache().

Details of how to provoke one possible issue (thanks to David Hildenbrand
for deriving this):

--8<-----

__swap_entry_free() might be the last user and result in
"count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE".

swapoff->try_to_unuse() will stop as soon as soon as si->inuse_pages==0.

So the question is: could someone reclaim the folio and turn
si->inuse_pages==0, before we completed swap_page_trans_huge_swapped().

Imagine the following: 2 MiB folio in the swapcache. Only 2 subpages are
still references by swap entries.

Process 1 still references subpage 0 via swap entry.
Process 2 still references subpage 1 via swap entry.

Process 1 quits. Calls free_swap_and_cache().
-> count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE
[then, preempted in the hypervisor etc.]

Process 2 quits. Calls free_swap_and_cache().
-> count == SWAP_HAS_CACHE

Process 2 goes ahead, passes swap_page_trans_huge_swapped(), and calls
__try_to_reclaim_swap().

__try_to_reclaim_swap()->folio_free_swap()->delete_from_swap_cache()->
put_swap_folio()->free_swap_slot()->swapcache_free_entries()->
swap_entry_free()->swap_range_free()->
...
WRITE_ONCE(si->inuse_pages, si->inuse_pages - nr_entries);

What stops swapoff to succeed after process 2 reclaimed the swap cache
but before process1 finished its call to swap_page_trans_huge_swapped()?

--8<-----

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Tracking

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Advisories
Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-3842-1 linux-5.10 security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-5681-1 linux security update
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6816-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6817-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6817-2 Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6817-3 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6878-1 Linux kernel (Oracle) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6898-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6898-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6898-3 Linux kernel kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6898-4 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6917-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6919-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6927-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7019-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7069-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7069-2 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7073-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7073-2 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7119-1 Linux kernel (IoT) vulnerabilities
Fixes

Solution

No solution given by the vendor.


Workaround

No workaround given by the vendor.

History

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics epss

{'score': 5e-05}

epss

{'score': 6e-05}


Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Debian
Debian debian Linux
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Debian
Debian debian Linux

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat rhel Eus
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:rhel_eus:9.4
Vendors & Products Redhat rhel Eus

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 02:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:8::nfv
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2025-05-04T09:00:51.074Z

Reserved: 2024-02-19T14:20:24.201Z

Link: CVE-2024-26960

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2024-08-02T00:21:06.048Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2024-05-01T06:15:12.323

Modified: 2025-03-20T21:28:01.603

Link: CVE-2024-26960

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Low

Publid Date: 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2024-26960 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses