published January 5, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
block: Use RCU in blk_mq_[un]quiesce_tagset() instead of set->tag_list_lock
blk_mq_{add,del}_queue_tag_set() functions add and remove queues from
tagset, the functions make sure that tagset and queues are marked as
shared when two or more queues are attached to the same tagset.
Initially a tagset starts as unshared and when the number of added
queues reaches two, blk_mq_add_queue_tag_set() marks it as shared along
with all the queues attached to it. When the number of attached queues
drops to 1 blk_mq_del_queue_tag_set() need to mark both the tagset and
the remaining queues as unshared.
Both functions need to freeze current queues in tagset before setting on
unsetting BLK_MQ_F_TAG_QUEUE_SHARED flag. While doing so, both functions
hold set->tag_list_lock mutex, which makes sense as we do not want
queues to be added or deleted in the process. This used to work fine
until commit 98d81f0df70c ("nvme: use blk_mq_[un]quiesce_tagset")
made the nvme driver quiesce tagset instead of quiscing individual
queues. blk_mq_quiesce_tagset() does the job and quiesce the queues in
set->tag_list while holding set->tag_list_lock also.
This results in deadlock between two threads with these stacktraces:
__schedule+0x47c/0xbb0
? timerqueue_add+0x66/0xb0
schedule+0x1c/0xa0
schedule_preempt_disabled+0xa/0x10
__mutex_lock.constprop.0+0x271/0x600
blk_mq_quiesce_tagset+0x25/0xc0
nvme_dev_disable+0x9c/0x250
nvme_timeout+0x1fc/0x520
blk_mq_handle_expired+0x5c/0x90
bt_iter+0x7e/0x90
blk_mq_queue_tag_busy_iter+0x27e/0x550
? __blk_mq_complete_request_remote+0x10/0x10
? __blk_mq_complete_request_remote+0x10/0x10
? __call_rcu_common.constprop.0+0x1c0/0x210
blk_mq_timeout_work+0x12d/0x170
process_one_work+0x12e/0x2d0
worker_thread+0x288/0x3a0
? rescuer_thread+0x480/0x480
kthread+0xb8/0xe0
? kthread_park+0x80/0x80
ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50
? kthread_park+0x80/0x80
ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20
__schedule+0x47c/0xbb0
? xas_find+0x161/0x1a0
schedule+0x1c/0xa0
blk_mq_freeze_queue_wait+0x3d/0x70
? destroy_sched_domains_rcu+0x30/0x30
blk_mq_update_tag_set_shared+0x44/0x80
blk_mq_exit_queue+0x141/0x150
del_gendisk+0x25a/0x2d0
nvme_ns_remove+0xc9/0x170
nvme_remove_namespaces+0xc7/0x100
nvme_remove+0x62/0x150
pci_device_remove+0x23/0x60
device_release_driver_internal+0x159/0x200
unbind_store+0x99/0xa0
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x112/0x1e0
vfs_write+0x2b1/0x3d0
ksys_write+0x4e/0xb0
do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x160
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
The top stacktrace is showing nvme_timeout() called to handle nvme
command timeout. timeout handler is trying to disable the controller and
as a first step, it needs to blk_mq_quiesce_tagset() to tell blk-mq not
to call queue callback handlers. The thread is stuck waiting for
set->tag_list_lock as it tries to walk the queues in set->tag_list.
The lock is held by the second thread in the bottom stack which is
waiting for one of queues to be frozen. The queue usage counter will
drop to zero after nvme_timeout() finishes, and this will not happen
because the thread will wait for this mutex forever.
Given that [un]quiescing queue is an operation that does not need to
sleep, update blk_mq_[un]quiesce_tagset() to use RCU instead of taking
set->tag_list_lock, update blk_mq_{add,del}_queue_tag_set() to use RCU
safe list operations. Also, delete INIT_LIST_HEAD(&q->tag_set_list)
in blk_mq_del_queue_tag_set() because we can not re-initialize it while
the list is being traversed under RCU. The deleted queue will not be
added/deleted to/from a tagset and it will be freed in blk_free_queue()
after the end of RCU grace period.