FAILED: patch "[PATCH] landlock: Fix use-after-free of the source's parent directory" failed to apply to 6.1-stable tree

The patch below does not apply to the 6.1-stable tree.
If someone wants it applied there, or to any other stable or longterm tree, then please email the backport, including the original git commit id to <[email protected]>.

To reproduce the conflict and resubmit, you may use the following commands:

git fetch https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/ linux-6.1.y
git checkout FETCH_HEAD
git cherry-pick -x 2c6dc792538260a8087ac5b22c31b3b8e47c85d6
# <resolve conflicts, build, test, etc.>
git commit -s
git send-email --to '<[email protected]>' --in-reply-to '2026091645-slogan-afterglow-e44a@gregkh' --subject-prefix 'PATCH 6.1.y' 'HEAD^..'

Possible dependencies:

thanks,

greg k-h

------------------ original commit in Linus's tree ------------------

From 2c6dc792538260a8087ac5b22c31b3b8e47c85d6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Norbert Szetei <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:29:00 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] landlock: Fix use-after-free of the source's parent directory
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

current_check_refer_path() reads old_dentry->d_parent without holding a reference nor a lock on it, and then dereferences it in collect_domain_accesses() and in the audit record.

A reference on a child does not pin its parent: __d_move() reassigns dentry->d_parent and drops the reference the child held on its former parent. hook_path_rename() is not affected because the rename path calls lock_rename() before the hook, so the source cannot be reparented under it. hook_path_link() has no such protection: filename_linkat() holds a reference on the source dentry but neither locks nor references its parent, so a concurrent rename(2) can reparent the source while security_path_link() runs, and the former parent can then be removed and freed while the hook walks it.

A process can trigger this after entering a Landlock domain that handles at least one filesystem access right. The process can then race a linkat(2) loop against rename(2) and rmdir(2):

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in collect_domain_accesses+0x278/0x290
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff888160bd53f4 by task llrepro2/549
   collect_domain_accesses+0x278/0x290
   current_check_refer_path+0x952/0x1120
   security_path_link+0x1be/0x320
   filename_linkat+0x342/0x6d0
   __x64_sys_linkat+0xfa/0x150
  Freed by task 562:
   kmem_cache_free+0x139/0x4c0
   i_callback+0x4b/0x80
   rcu_core+0x7dc/0x10a0

Take a reference on the dentry selected as the source parent, using dget() for the common-mount-root case and dget_parent() otherwise. Release it after the hierarchy walk and synchronous audit logging.

index 30aa6ce13590..330a1871bf94 100644
@@ -1298,11 +1298,12 @@ static int current_check_refer_path(struct dentry *const old_dentry,
 	/*
 	 * old_dentry may be the root of the common mount point and
 	 * !IS_ROOT(old_dentry) at the same time (e.g. with open_tree() and
-	 * OPEN_TREE_CLONE).  We do not need to call dget(old_parent) because
-	 * we keep a reference to old_dentry.
+	 * OPEN_TREE_CLONE).  Pin the dentry used as old_parent in either case.
+	 * Otherwise, dget_parent() safely fetches and pins the current parent
+	 * against a concurrent rename(2).
 	 */
-	old_parent = (old_dentry == mnt_dir.dentry) ? old_dentry :
-						      old_dentry->d_parent;
+	old_parent = (old_dentry == mnt_dir.dentry) ? dget(old_dentry) :
+						      dget_parent(old_dentry);
 
 	/* new_dir->dentry is equal to new_dentry->d_parent */
 	allow_parent1 = collect_domain_accesses(subject->domain, mnt_dir.dentry,

@@ -1311,8 +1312,10 @@ static int current_check_refer_path(struct dentry *const old_dentry,
 	allow_parent2 = collect_domain_accesses(subject->domain, mnt_dir.dentry,
 						new_dir->dentry,
 						&layer_masks_parent2);
-	if (allow_parent1 && allow_parent2)
+	if (allow_parent1 && allow_parent2) {
+		dput(old_parent);
 		return 0;
+	}
 
 	/*
 	 * To be able to compare source and destination domain access rights,

@@ -1324,8 +1327,10 @@ static int current_check_refer_path(struct dentry *const old_dentry,
 		    subject->domain, &mnt_dir, access_request_parent1,
 		    &layer_masks_parent1, &request1, old_dentry,
 		    access_request_parent2, &layer_masks_parent2, &request2,
-		    exchange ? new_dentry : NULL))
+		    exchange ? new_dentry : NULL)) {
+		dput(old_parent);
 		return 0;
+	}
 
 	if (request1.access) {
 		request1.audit.u.path.dentry = old_parent;

@@ -1335,6 +1340,7 @@ static int current_check_refer_path(struct dentry *const old_dentry,
 		request2.audit.u.path.dentry = new_dir->dentry;
 		landlock_log_denial(subject, &request2);
 	}
+	dput(old_parent);
 
 	/*
 	 * This prioritizes EACCES over EXDEV for all actions, including

From: Norbert Szetei <[email protected]>

[ Upstream commit 2c6dc792538260a8087ac5b22c31b3b8e47c85d6 ]

current_check_refer_path() reads old_dentry->d_parent without holding a reference nor a lock on it, and then dereferences it in collect_domain_accesses() and in the audit record.

A reference on a child does not pin its parent: __d_move() reassigns dentry->d_parent and drops the reference the child held on its former parent. hook_path_rename() is not affected because the rename path calls lock_rename() before the hook, so the source cannot be reparented under it. hook_path_link() has no such protection: filename_linkat() holds a reference on the source dentry but neither locks nor references its parent, so a concurrent rename(2) can reparent the source while security_path_link() runs, and the former parent can then be removed and freed while the hook walks it.

A process can trigger this after entering a Landlock domain that handles at least one filesystem access right. The process can then race a linkat(2) loop against rename(2) and rmdir(2):

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in collect_domain_accesses+0x278/0x290
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff888160bd53f4 by task llrepro2/549
   collect_domain_accesses+0x278/0x290
   current_check_refer_path+0x952/0x1120
   security_path_link+0x1be/0x320
   filename_linkat+0x342/0x6d0
   __x64_sys_linkat+0xfa/0x150
  Freed by task 562:
   kmem_cache_free+0x139/0x4c0
   i_callback+0x4b/0x80
   rcu_core+0x7dc/0x10a0

Take a reference on the dentry selected as the source parent, using dget() for the common-mount-root case and dget_parent() otherwise. Release it after the hierarchy walk and synchronous audit logging.

---
 security/landlock/fs.c | 10 ++++++----
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

index dd7f0fd921cf6..8bd48f1446e33 100644
@@ -893,17 +893,19 @@ static int current_check_refer_path(struct dentry *const old_dentry,
 	/*
 	 * old_dentry may be the root of the common mount point and
 	 * !IS_ROOT(old_dentry) at the same time (e.g. with open_tree() and
-	 * OPEN_TREE_CLONE).  We do not need to call dget(old_parent) because
-	 * we keep a reference to old_dentry.
+	 * OPEN_TREE_CLONE).  Pin the dentry used as old_parent in either case.
+	 * Otherwise, dget_parent() safely fetches and pins the current parent
+	 * against a concurrent rename(2).
 	 */
-	old_parent = (old_dentry == mnt_dir.dentry) ? old_dentry :
-						      old_dentry->d_parent;
+	old_parent = (old_dentry == mnt_dir.dentry) ? dget(old_dentry) :
+						      dget_parent(old_dentry);
 
 	/* new_dir->dentry is equal to new_dentry->d_parent */
 	allow_parent1 = collect_domain_accesses(dom, mnt_dir.dentry, old_parent,
 						&layer_masks_parent1);
 	allow_parent2 = collect_domain_accesses(
 		dom, mnt_dir.dentry, new_dir->dentry, &layer_masks_parent2);
+	dput(old_parent);
 
 	if (allow_parent1 && allow_parent2)
 		return 0;

2.53.0

Thanks!