High · published December 8, 2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released
Recently, we discovered the following issue through syzkaller:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in fb_mode_is_equal+0x285/0x2f0
Read of size 4 at addr ff11000001b3c69c by task syz.xxx
...
Call Trace:
<TASK>
dump_stack_lvl+0xab/0xe0
print_address_description.constprop.0+0x2c/0x390
print_report+0xb9/0x280
kasan_report+0xb8/0xf0
fb_mode_is_equal+0x285/0x2f0
fbcon_mode_deleted+0x129/0x180
fb_set_var+0xe7f/0x11d0
do_fb_ioctl+0x6a0/0x750
fb_ioctl+0xe0/0x140
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x193/0x210
do_syscall_64+0x5f/0x9c0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
Based on experimentation and analysis, during framebuffer unregistration,
only the memory of fb_info->modelist is freed, without setting the
corresponding fb_display[i]->mode to NULL for the freed modes. This leads
to UAF issues during subsequent accesses. Here's an example of reproduction
steps:
1. With /dev/fb0 already registered in the system, load a kernel module
to register a new device /dev/fb1;
2. Set fb1's mode to the global fb_display[] array (via FBIOPUT_CON2FBMAP);
3. Switch console from fb to VGA (to allow normal rmmod of the ko);
4. Unload the kernel module, at this point fb1's modelist is freed, leaving
a wild pointer in fb_display[];
5. Trigger the bug via system calls through fb0 attempting to delete a mode
from fb0.
Add a check in do_unregister_framebuffer(): if the mode to be freed exists
in fb_display[], set the corresponding mode pointer to NULL.