In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/resctrl: Fix UAF from worker threads when domains are removed
The mbm_handle_overflow() and cqm_handle_limbo() workers read event counters and may sleep while doing so. They are scheduled via delayed_work embedded in struct rdt_l3_mon_domain. Architecture allocates and frees these domains from CPU hotplug callbacks under cpus_write_lock(), and the workers acquire cpus_read_lock() to keep the domain alive across their access.
A use-after-free can occur when a worker is blocked waiting for cpus_read_lock() while the hotplug core holds cpus_write_lock(): the architecture frees the rdt_l3_mon_domain that contains the worker's work_struct. When the worker unblocks, the container_of() it performs on the embedded work pointer dereferences freed memory.
Drop cpus_read_lock() from the workers and instead drain pending and in-flight work synchronously before the architecture can free the domain. Since architecture offlines the domain under cpus_write_lock() after it has been unlinked from the RCU list and a grace period has elapsed, no new work can be scheduled. The cancel only needs to wait out existing work. Drop rdtgroup_mutex during CPU offline around cancel_delayed_work_sync() so that a worker waiting on the mutex can complete before re-pinning the work on a different CPU.
When offlining a CPU the architecture may iterate over resources in any order. For example, the MBA control domain may be offlined before or after a corresponding L3 monitor domain. Ensure that resctrl fs cancels the workers no matter what order the architecture offlines the domains.