High · published September 12, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: rtl8xxxu: fix use-after-free from rx_urb_wq on stop
rtl8xxxu arms rx_urb_wq from the RX completion path:
rtl8xxxu_rx_complete() hands the URB to rtl8xxxu_queue_rx_urb(), which
queues it on rx_urb_pending_list and, once the list grows past
RTL8XXXU_RX_URB_PENDING_WATER, schedules rx_urb_wq. The worker
rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() drains rx_urb_pending_list, recovers priv through
container_of, and resubmits each URB through rtl8xxxu_submit_rx_urb(),
which anchors it on rx_anchor and dereferences priv->udev.
rtl8xxxu_stop() cancels the sibling work items (c2hcmd_work, ra_watchdog,
update_beacon_work) but never cancels rx_urb_wq, so a worker armed during
the last burst of RX traffic can run rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() after
rtl8xxxu_disconnect() has called ieee80211_free_hw(), which frees priv,
producing a use-after-free. The window opens under active RX traffic
(pending count above the watermark) followed by a disconnect.
There are two teardown races to close:
* rtl8xxxu_queue_rx_urb() decided whether to enqueue under rx_urb_lock
but called schedule_work() after dropping the lock. A completion
that observed shutdown == false and released the lock could then call
schedule_work() after rtl8xxxu_stop() had set shutdown and
cancel_work_sync() had already returned, arming the worker to run
after the teardown. Move schedule_work() under the same !shutdown
branch so the arming decision is atomic with the shutdown check.
* rtl8xxxu_rx_urb_work() anchors every URB it drained back onto
rx_anchor through rtl8xxxu_submit_rx_urb(). A worker still running
when usb_kill_anchored_urbs(&priv->rx_anchor) returned would submit a
URB that escaped the kill. In rtl8xxxu_stop(), call
cancel_work_sync(&priv->rx_urb_wq) before the kill so the worker is
drained first.
After priv->shutdown is set under rx_urb_lock, completions can no longer
queue rx_urb_wq. cancel_work_sync() then drains the last queued or running
worker, and the following usb_kill_anchored_urbs() kills the URBs it may
have submitted.
rtl8xxxu_disconnect() is covered because ieee80211_unregister_hw()
guarantees .stop() runs for a live interface before ieee80211_free_hw()
frees priv. The probe error path needs no cancel: rx_urb_wq is
INIT_WORK()'d there but cannot have been scheduled, since no URB is
submitted before ieee80211_register_hw() succeeds.
This bug was found by static analysis.