Skip to content
OpenAdvisories
Unscored CVE-2021-47553 EUVD-2021-34555

sched/scs: Reset task stack state in bringup_cpu()

Published May 24, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sched/scs: Reset task stack state in bringup_cpu()

To hot unplug a CPU, the idle task on that CPU calls a few layers of C
code before finally leaving the kernel. When KASAN is in use, poisoned
shadow is left around for each of the active stack frames, and when
shadow call stacks are in use. When shadow call stacks (SCS) are in use
the task's saved SCS SP is left pointing at an arbitrary point within
the task's shadow call stack.

When a CPU is offlined than onlined back into the kernel, this stale
state can adversely affect execution. Stale KASAN shadow can alias new
stackframes and result in bogus KASAN warnings. A stale SCS SP is
effectively a memory leak, and prevents a portion of the shadow call
stack being used. Across a number of hotplug cycles the idle task's
entire shadow call stack can become unusable.

We previously fixed the KASAN issue in commit:

e1b77c92981a5222 ("sched/kasan: remove stale KASAN poison after hotplug")

... by removing any stale KASAN stack poison immediately prior to
onlining a CPU.

Subsequently in commit:

f1a0a376ca0c4ef1 ("sched/core: Initialize the idle task with preemption disabled")

... the refactoring left the KASAN and SCS cleanup in one-time idle
thread initialization code rather than something invoked prior to each
CPU being onlined, breaking both as above.

We fixed SCS (but not KASAN) in commit:

63acd42c0d4942f7 ("sched/scs: Reset the shadow stack when idle_task_exit")

... but as this runs in the context of the idle task being offlined it's
potentially fragile.

To fix these consistently and more robustly, reset the SCS SP and KASAN
shadow of a CPU's idle task immediately before we online that CPU in
bringup_cpu(). This ensures the idle task always has a consistent state
when it is running, and removes the need to so so when exiting an idle
task.

Whenever any thread is created, dup_task_struct() will give the task a
stack which is free of KASAN shadow, and initialize the task's SCS SP,
so there's no need to specially initialize either for idle thread within
init_idle(), as this was only necessary to handle hotplug cycles.

I've tested this on arm64 with:

* gcc 11.1.0, defconfig +KASAN_INLINE, KASAN_STACK
* clang 12.0.0, defconfig +KASAN_INLINE, KASAN_STACK, SHADOW_CALL_STACK

... offlining and onlining CPUS with:

| while true; do
| for C in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/online; do
| echo 0 > $C;
| echo 1 > $C;
| done
| done

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 5.10.50 – < 5.10.83, 5.12.17 – < 5.13, 5.13.2 – < 5.14, 5.14 5.10.83

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 5.15.15-1 —
Debian 13 linux 5.15.15-1 —
Debian 12 linux 5.15.15-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +20 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +26 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-64kb +6 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-azure +2 5.14.21-150500.33.57.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2019-1
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1.150500.6.31.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
SLES 15 SP4 kernel-64kb +4 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLES 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLES 15 SP4 kernel-syms +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
Show 10 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES for SAP 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP4 kernel-docs +2 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP4 kernel-syms +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-default 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1.150500.6.31.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150500.13.58.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2008-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150400.15.82.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2011-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150400.15.82.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2011-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 kernel-default 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5_Update_15 +1 1-150500.11.3.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1, SUSE-SU-2024:2008-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_27 1-150400.9.3.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE HPC 15 SP4 kernel-64kb +3 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE HPC 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SLE HPC 15 SP4 kernel-syms +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 kernel-rt +3 5.14.21-150500.13.58.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2008-1
SUSE Manager Server 4.3 kernel-default +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Manager Server 4.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Manager Server 4.3 kernel-syms +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 kernel-syms +1 5.14.21-150400.24.122.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap 15.5 dtb-aarch64 +10 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-azure +2 5.14.21-150500.33.57.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2019-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.68.1.150500.6.31.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-rt +3 5.14.21-150500.13.58.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2008-1
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.4 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.4 kernel-rt 5.14.21-150400.15.82.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2011-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.3 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.122.2.150400.24.58.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2189-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.3 kernel-rt 5.14.21-150400.15.82.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2011-1

Advisories 6

References