From: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>
To: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: "Liam R . Howlett" <Liam.Howlett@oracle.com>,
Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@suse.cz>, Jann Horn <jannh@google.com>,
Pedro Falcato <pfalcato@suse.de>,
Yeoreum Yun <yeoreum.yun@arm.com>,
linux-mm@kvack.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
David Hildenbrand <david@kernel.org>,
Jeongjun Park <aha310510@gmail.com>,
Rik van Riel <riel@surriel.com>, Harry Yoo <harry.yoo@oracle.com>
Subject: [PATCH v2 1/4] mm/vma: fix anon_vma UAF on mremap() faulted, unfaulted merge
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2026 20:11:47 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <b7930ad2b1503a657e29fe928eb33061d7eadf5b.1767638272.git.lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <cover.1767638272.git.lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>
Commit 879bca0a2c4f ("mm/vma: fix incorrectly disallowed anonymous VMA
merges") introduced the ability to merge previously unavailable VMA merge
scenarios.
The key piece of logic introduced was the ability to merge a faulted VMA
immediately next to an unfaulted VMA, which relies upon dup_anon_vma() to
correctly handle anon_vma state.
In the case of the merge of an existing VMA (that is changing properties
of a VMA and then merging if those properties are shared by adjacent
VMAs), dup_anon_vma() is invoked correctly.
However in the case of the merge of a new VMA, a corner case peculiar to
mremap() was missed.
The issue is that vma_expand() only performs dup_anon_vma() if the target
(the VMA that will ultimately become the merged VMA): is not the next VMA,
i.e. the one that appears after the range in which the new VMA is to be
established.
A key insight here is that in all other cases other than mremap(), a new
VMA merge either expands an existing VMA, meaning that the target VMA will
be that VMA, or would have anon_vma be NULL.
Specifically:
* __mmap_region() - no anon_vma in place, initial mapping.
* do_brk_flags() - expanding an existing VMA.
* vma_merge_extend() - expanding an existing VMA.
* relocate_vma_down() - no anon_vma in place, initial mapping.
In addition, we are in the unique situation of needing to duplicate
anon_vma state from a VMA that is neither the previous or next VMA being
merged with.
dup_anon_vma() deals exclusively with the target=unfaulted, src=faulted
case. This leaves four possibilities, in each case where the copied VMA is
faulted:
1. Previous VMA unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)|
|-----------|.............|
prev
target = prev, expand prev to cover.
2. Next VMA unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|.............|-----------|
|(faulted VMA)| unfaulted |
|.............|-----------|
next
target = next, expand next to cover.
3. Both adjacent VMAs unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|-----------|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)| unfaulted |
|-----------|.............|-----------|
prev next
target = prev, expand prev to cover.
4. prev unfaulted, next faulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|-----------|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)| faulted |
|-----------|.............|-----------|
prev next
target = prev, expand prev to cover. Essentially equivalent to 3, but with
additional requirement that next's anon_vma is the same as the copied
VMA's. This is covered by the existing logic.
To account for this very explicitly, we introduce vma_merge_copied_range(),
which sets a newly introduced vmg->copied_from field, then invokes
vma_merge_new_range() which handles the rest of the logic.
We then update the key vma_expand() function to clean up the logic and make
what's going on clearer, making the 'remove next' case less special, before
invoking dup_anon_vma() unconditionally should we be copying from a VMA.
Note that in case 3, the if (remove_next) ... branch will be a no-op, as
next=src in this instance and src is unfaulted.
In case 4, it won't be, but since in this instance next=src and it is
faulted, this will have required tgt=faulted, src=faulted to be compatible,
meaning that next->anon_vma == vmg->copied_from->anon_vma, and thus a
single dup_anon_vma() of next suffices to copy anon_vma state for the
copied-from VMA also.
If we are copying from a VMA in a successful merge we must _always_
propagate anon_vma state.
This issue can be observed most directly by invoked mremap() to move
around a VMA and cause this kind of merge with the MREMAP_DONTUNMAP flag
specified.
This will result in unlink_anon_vmas() being called after failing to
duplicate anon_vma state to the target VMA, which results in the anon_vma
itself being freed with folios still possessing dangling pointers to the
anon_vma and thus a use-after-free bug.
This bug was discovered via a syzbot report, which this patch resolves.
We further make a change to update the mergeable anon_vma check to assert
the copied-from anon_vma did not have CoW parents, as otherwise
dup_anon_vma() might incorrectly propagate CoW ancestors from the next VMA
in case 4 despite the anon_vma's being identical for both VMAs.
Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>
Fixes: 879bca0a2c4f ("mm/vma: fix incorrectly disallowed anonymous VMA merges")
Reported-by: syzbot+b165fc2e11771c66d8ba@syzkaller.appspotmail.com
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/694a2745.050a0220.19928e.0017.GAE@google.com/
Cc: stable@kernel.org
---
mm/vma.c | 84 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------------
mm/vma.h | 3 ++
2 files changed, 62 insertions(+), 25 deletions(-)
diff --git a/mm/vma.c b/mm/vma.c
index 6377aa290a27..660f4732f8a5 100644
--- a/mm/vma.c
+++ b/mm/vma.c
@@ -829,6 +829,8 @@ static __must_check struct vm_area_struct *vma_merge_existing_range(
VM_WARN_ON_VMG(middle &&
!(vma_iter_addr(vmg->vmi) >= middle->vm_start &&
vma_iter_addr(vmg->vmi) < middle->vm_end), vmg);
+ /* An existing merge can never be used by the mremap() logic. */
+ VM_WARN_ON_VMG(vmg->copied_from, vmg);
vmg->state = VMA_MERGE_NOMERGE;
@@ -1098,6 +1100,33 @@ struct vm_area_struct *vma_merge_new_range(struct vma_merge_struct *vmg)
return NULL;
}
+/*
+ * vma_merge_copied_range - Attempt to merge a VMA that is being copied by
+ * mremap()
+ *
+ * @vmg: Describes the VMA we are adding, in the copied-to range @vmg->start to
+ * @vmg->end (exclusive), which we try to merge with any adjacent VMAs if
+ * possible.
+ *
+ * vmg->prev, next, start, end, pgoff should all be relative to the COPIED TO
+ * range, i.e. the target range for the VMA.
+ *
+ * Returns: In instances where no merge was possible, NULL. Otherwise, a pointer
+ * to the VMA we expanded.
+ *
+ * ASSUMPTIONS: Same as vma_merge_new_range(), except vmg->middle must contain
+ * the copied-from VMA.
+ */
+static struct vm_area_struct *vma_merge_copied_range(struct vma_merge_struct *vmg)
+{
+ /* We must have a copied-from VMA. */
+ VM_WARN_ON_VMG(!vmg->middle, vmg);
+
+ vmg->copied_from = vmg->middle;
+ vmg->middle = NULL;
+ return vma_merge_new_range(vmg);
+}
+
/*
* vma_expand - Expand an existing VMA
*
@@ -1117,46 +1146,52 @@ struct vm_area_struct *vma_merge_new_range(struct vma_merge_struct *vmg)
int vma_expand(struct vma_merge_struct *vmg)
{
struct vm_area_struct *anon_dup = NULL;
- bool remove_next = false;
struct vm_area_struct *target = vmg->target;
struct vm_area_struct *next = vmg->next;
+ bool remove_next = false;
vm_flags_t sticky_flags;
-
- sticky_flags = vmg->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
- sticky_flags |= target->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
-
- VM_WARN_ON_VMG(!target, vmg);
+ int ret = 0;
mmap_assert_write_locked(vmg->mm);
-
vma_start_write(target);
- if (next && (target != next) && (vmg->end == next->vm_end)) {
- int ret;
- sticky_flags |= next->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
+ if (next && target != next && vmg->end == next->vm_end)
remove_next = true;
- /* This should already have been checked by this point. */
- VM_WARN_ON_VMG(!can_merge_remove_vma(next), vmg);
- vma_start_write(next);
- /*
- * In this case we don't report OOM, so vmg->give_up_on_mm is
- * safe.
- */
- ret = dup_anon_vma(target, next, &anon_dup);
- if (ret)
- return ret;
- }
+ /* We must have a target. */
+ VM_WARN_ON_VMG(!target, vmg);
+ /* This should have already been checked by this point. */
+ VM_WARN_ON_VMG(remove_next && !can_merge_remove_vma(next), vmg);
/* Not merging but overwriting any part of next is not handled. */
VM_WARN_ON_VMG(next && !remove_next &&
next != target && vmg->end > next->vm_start, vmg);
- /* Only handles expanding */
+ /* Only handles expanding. */
VM_WARN_ON_VMG(target->vm_start < vmg->start ||
target->vm_end > vmg->end, vmg);
+ sticky_flags = vmg->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
+ sticky_flags |= target->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
if (remove_next)
- vmg->__remove_next = true;
+ sticky_flags |= next->vm_flags & VM_STICKY;
+ /*
+ * If we are removing the next VMA or copying from a VMA
+ * (e.g. mremap()'ing), we must propagate anon_vma state.
+ *
+ * Note that, by convention, callers ignore OOM for this case, so
+ * we don't need to account for vmg->give_up_on_mm here.
+ */
+ if (remove_next)
+ ret = dup_anon_vma(target, next, &anon_dup);
+ if (!ret && vmg->copied_from)
+ ret = dup_anon_vma(target, vmg->copied_from, &anon_dup);
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+
+ if (remove_next) {
+ vma_start_write(next);
+ vmg->__remove_next = true;
+ }
if (commit_merge(vmg))
goto nomem;
@@ -1828,10 +1863,9 @@ struct vm_area_struct *copy_vma(struct vm_area_struct **vmap,
if (new_vma && new_vma->vm_start < addr + len)
return NULL; /* should never get here */
- vmg.middle = NULL; /* New VMA range. */
vmg.pgoff = pgoff;
vmg.next = vma_iter_next_rewind(&vmi, NULL);
- new_vma = vma_merge_new_range(&vmg);
+ new_vma = vma_merge_copied_range(&vmg);
if (new_vma) {
/*
diff --git a/mm/vma.h b/mm/vma.h
index e4c7bd79de5f..d51efd9da113 100644
--- a/mm/vma.h
+++ b/mm/vma.h
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ struct vma_merge_struct {
struct anon_vma_name *anon_name;
enum vma_merge_state state;
+ /* If copied from (i.e. mremap()'d) the VMA from which we are copying. */
+ struct vm_area_struct *copied_from;
+
/* Flags which callers can use to modify merge behaviour: */
/*
--
2.52.0
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-01-05 20:12 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 9+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-01-05 20:11 [PATCH v2 0/4] " Lorenzo Stoakes
2026-01-05 20:11 ` Lorenzo Stoakes [this message]
2026-01-06 3:15 ` [PATCH v2 1/4] " Harry Yoo
2026-01-06 15:01 ` Jeongjun Park
2026-01-05 20:11 ` [PATCH v2 2/4] tools/testing/selftests: add tests for !tgt, src mremap() merges Lorenzo Stoakes
2026-01-05 20:11 ` [PATCH v2 3/4] mm/vma: enforce VMA fork limit on unfaulted,faulted mremap merge too Lorenzo Stoakes
2026-01-06 6:03 ` Harry Yoo
2026-01-06 15:23 ` Jeongjun Park
2026-01-05 20:11 ` [PATCH v2 4/4] tools/testing/selftests: add forked (un)/faulted VMA merge tests Lorenzo Stoakes
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