published September 17, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
null_blk: free zones array on device power-off
null_init_zoned_dev() allocates dev->zones when a zoned device is powered
on, but null_del_dev() never frees it on power-off; dev->zones is only
freed later in null_free_dev(), when the configfs directory is removed. If
the device is powered off and then on again, null_init_zoned_dev()
allocates a new array and overwrites the dev->zones pointer, leaking the
previous allocation each power cycle.
Free dev->zones in null_del_dev() via null_free_zoned_dev() to solve it.
And calling null_free_zoned_dev() in null_free_dev() is no longer necessary
because every caller already invokes null_del_dev() first: via
nullb_group_drop_item() before nullb_device_release(), in the
null_add_dev() error path of null_create_dev(), and in null_destroy_dev().
Remove the redundant call.
And take &lock around zone_cond_store() in the two store wrappers to
serialize dev->zones check-and-deref against its alloc/free, which already
run under &lock. The reason there was no problem before is that only
nullb_device_release() or null_exit() frees the dev->zones, which
guarantees that subsequent users won't access the configfs interface.