published August 15, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
i2c: jz4780: Cache host clock rate at probe to prevent CCF prepare_lock deadlock
Fix a severe AB/BA deadlock between the Common Clock Framework (CCF)
and the I2C adapter lock, which triggers when an I2C-controlled clock
generator client (like the Si5351) is registered or modified under the CCF.
During an i2c client clock (generator) frequency change, the CCF acquires its global
'prepare_lock' mutex and the driver calls i2c_transfer() to update the client's
chip registers, stalling for the adapter's I2C bus lock.
Concurrently, an independent, parallel transfer on the same bus (e.g., a GPIO
expander handling LEDs) can hold the I2C adapter lock. Inside this parallel
transfer path, jz4780_i2c_set_speed() calls clk_get_rate() on the host
controller's input clock to calculate bus timings. This call attempts to acquire
the blocked CCF 'prepare_lock', creating a circular dependency that freezes
the system.
The jz4780 host controller clock itself is static and never changes at runtime.
However, calling clk_get_rate() inside the active transfer path introduces
an unnecessary dependency on the CCF internal locks.
Eliminate this synchronous clk_get_rate() call from the active transfer
path by caching the static host peripheral clock rate once - inside the private
jz4780_i2c structure during jz4780_i2c_probe(). Update jz4780_i2c_set_speed()
to use this cached value, safely decoupling active I2C transactions from the
CCF internal locks without any risk of stale timings.
Assisted-by web based Google AI (pinpointing the bug and writing the message).