In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race Patch series "mm/damon/core: fix damon_call()/damos_walk() vs kdmond exit race". damon_call() and damos_walk() can leak memory and/or deadlock when they race with kdamond terminations. Fix those. This patch (of 2); When kdamond_fn() main loop is finished, the function cancels all remaining damon_call() requests and unset the damon_ctx-kdamond so that API callers and API functions themselves can know the context is terminated. damon_call() adds the caller's request to the queue first.

After that, it shows if the kdamond of the damon_ctx is still running (damon_ctx-kdamond is set). Only if the kdamond is running, damon_call() starts waiting for the kdamond's handling of the newly added request. The damon_call() requests registration and damon_ctx-kdamond unset are protected by different mutexes, though.

Hence, damon_call() could race with damon_ctx-kdamond unset, and result in deadlocks. For example, let's suppose kdamond successfully finished the damon_call() requests cancelling. Right after that, damon_call() is called for the context.

It registers the new request, and shows the context is still running, because damon_ctx-kdamond unset is not yet done. Hence the damon_call() caller starts waiting for the handling of the request. However, the kdamond is already on the termination steps, so it never handles the new request.

As a result, the damon_call() caller threads infinitely waits. Fix this by introducing another damon_ctx field, namely call_controls_obsolete. It is protected by the damon_ctx-call_controls_lock, which protects damon_call() requests registration.

Initialize (unset) it in kdamond_fn() before letting damon_start() returns and set it just before the cancelling of remaining damon_call() requests is executed. damon_call() reads the obsolete field under the lock and avoids adding a new request. After this change, only requests that are guaranteed to be handled or cancelled are registered. Hence the after-registration DAMON context termination check is no longer needed.

Remove it together. Note that the deadlock will not happen when damon_call() is called for repeat mode request. In tis case, damon_call() returns instead of waiting for the handling when the request registration succeeds and it shows the kdamond is running.

However, if the request also has dealloc_on_cancel, the request memory would be leaked. The issue is found by sashiko [1].