CyberRota Analysis
AI-GeneratedThe vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's cpufreq subsystem, where a race condition during system reboot allows CPU hotplug operations to interfere with the cpufreq_suspend() function. This can lead to a null pointer dereference, potentially causing system crashes or instability. Administrators and developers managing Linux-based systems should prioritize applying the fix to ensure system reliability during reboots.
Original NVD Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: Fix hotplug-suspend race during reboot During system reboot, cpufreq_suspend() is called via the kernel_restart() -> device_shutdown() path. Unlike the normal system suspend path, the reboot path does not call freeze_processes(), so userspace processes and kernel threads remain active. This allows CPU hotplug operations to run concurrently with cpufreq_suspend(). The original code has no synchronization with CPU hotplug, leading to a race condition where governor_data can be freed by the hotplug path while cpufreq_suspend() is still accessing it, resulting in a null pointer dereference: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference Call Trace: do_kernel_fault+0x28/0x3c cpufreq_suspend+0xdc/0x160 device_shutdown+0x18/0x200 kernel_restart+0x40/0x80 arm64_sys_reboot+0x1b0/0x200 Fix this by adding cpus_read_lock()/cpus_read_unlock() to cpufreq_suspend() to block CPU hotplug operations while suspend is in progress. [ rjw: Changelog edits ]