published June 18, 2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
USB: core: Prevent nested device-reset calls
Automatic kernel fuzzing revealed a recursive locking violation in
usb-storage:
============================================
WARNING: possible recursive locking detected
5.18.0 #3 Not tainted
--------------------------------------------
kworker/1:3/1205 is trying to acquire lock:
ffff888018638db8 (&us_interface_key[i]){+.+.}-{3:3}, at:
usb_stor_pre_reset+0x35/0x40 drivers/usb/storage/usb.c:230
but task is already holding lock:
ffff888018638db8 (&us_interface_key[i]){+.+.}-{3:3}, at:
usb_stor_pre_reset+0x35/0x40 drivers/usb/storage/usb.c:230
...
stack backtrace:
CPU: 1 PID: 1205 Comm: kworker/1:3 Not tainted 5.18.0 #3
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS
1.13.0-1ubuntu1.1 04/01/2014
Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event
Call Trace:
<TASK>
__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline]
dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106
print_deadlock_bug kernel/locking/lockdep.c:2988 [inline]
check_deadlock kernel/locking/lockdep.c:3031 [inline]
validate_chain kernel/locking/lockdep.c:3816 [inline]
__lock_acquire.cold+0x152/0x3ca kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5053
lock_acquire kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5665 [inline]
lock_acquire+0x1ab/0x520 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5630
__mutex_lock_common kernel/locking/mutex.c:603 [inline]
__mutex_lock+0x14f/0x1610 kernel/locking/mutex.c:747
usb_stor_pre_reset+0x35/0x40 drivers/usb/storage/usb.c:230
usb_reset_device+0x37d/0x9a0 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:6109
r871xu_dev_remove+0x21a/0x270 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:622
usb_unbind_interface+0x1bd/0x890 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:458
device_remove drivers/base/dd.c:545 [inline]
device_remove+0x11f/0x170 drivers/base/dd.c:537
__device_release_driver drivers/base/dd.c:1222 [inline]
device_release_driver_internal+0x1a7/0x2f0 drivers/base/dd.c:1248
usb_driver_release_interface+0x102/0x180 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:627
usb_forced_unbind_intf+0x4d/0xa0 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:1118
usb_reset_device+0x39b/0x9a0 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:6114
This turned out not to be an error in usb-storage but rather a nested
device reset attempt. That is, as the rtl8712 driver was being
unbound from a composite device in preparation for an unrelated USB
reset (that driver does not have pre_reset or post_reset callbacks),
its ->remove routine called usb_reset_device() -- thus nesting one
reset call within another.
Performing a reset as part of disconnect processing is a questionable
practice at best. However, the bug report points out that the USB
core does not have any protection against nested resets. Adding a
reset_in_progress flag and testing it will prevent such errors in the
future.