CVE-2023-54288 wifi: mac80211: fortify the spinlock against deadlock by interrupt
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

wifi: mac80211: fortify the spinlock against deadlock by interrupt

In the function ieee80211_tx_dequeue() there is a particular locking
sequence:

begin:
	spin_lock(&local->queue_stop_reason_lock);
	q_stopped = local->queue_stop_reasons[q];
	spin_unlock(&local->queue_stop_reason_lock);

However small the chance (increased by ftracetest), an asynchronous
interrupt can occur in between of spin_lock() and spin_unlock(),
and the interrupt routine will attempt to lock the same
&local->queue_stop_reason_lock again.

This will cause a costly reset of the CPU and the wifi device or an
altogether hang in the single CPU and single core scenario.

The only remaining spin_lock(&local->queue_stop_reason_lock) that
did not disable interrupts was patched, which should prevent any
deadlocks on the same CPU/core and the same wifi device.

This is the probable trace of the deadlock:

kernel: ================================
kernel: WARNING: inconsistent lock state
kernel: 6.3.0-rc6-mt-20230401-00001-gf86822a1170f #4 Tainted: G        W
kernel: --------------------------------
kernel: inconsistent {IN-SOFTIRQ-W} -> {SOFTIRQ-ON-W} usage.
kernel: kworker/5:0/25656 [HC0[0]:SC0[0]:HE1:SE1] takes:
kernel: ffff9d6190779478 (&local->queue_stop_reason_lock){+.?.}-{2:2}, at: return_to_handler+0x0/0x40
kernel: {IN-SOFTIRQ-W} state was registered at:
kernel:   lock_acquire+0xc7/0x2d0
kernel:   _raw_spin_lock+0x36/0x50
kernel:   ieee80211_tx_dequeue+0xb4/0x1330 [mac80211]
kernel:   iwl_mvm_mac_itxq_xmit+0xae/0x210 [iwlmvm]
kernel:   iwl_mvm_mac_wake_tx_queue+0x2d/0xd0 [iwlmvm]
kernel:   ieee80211_queue_skb+0x450/0x730 [mac80211]
kernel:   __ieee80211_xmit_fast.constprop.66+0x834/0xa50 [mac80211]
kernel:   __ieee80211_subif_start_xmit+0x217/0x530 [mac80211]
kernel:   ieee80211_subif_start_xmit+0x60/0x580 [mac80211]
kernel:   dev_hard_start_xmit+0xb5/0x260
kernel:   __dev_queue_xmit+0xdbe/0x1200
kernel:   neigh_resolve_output+0x166/0x260
kernel:   ip_finish_output2+0x216/0xb80
kernel:   __ip_finish_output+0x2a4/0x4d0
kernel:   ip_finish_output+0x2d/0xd0
kernel:   ip_output+0x82/0x2b0
kernel:   ip_local_out+0xec/0x110
kernel:   igmpv3_sendpack+0x5c/0x90
kernel:   igmp_ifc_timer_expire+0x26e/0x4e0
kernel:   call_timer_fn+0xa5/0x230
kernel:   run_timer_softirq+0x27f/0x550
kernel:   __do_softirq+0xb4/0x3a4
kernel:   irq_exit_rcu+0x9b/0xc0
kernel:   sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x80/0xa0
kernel:   asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x1f/0x30
kernel:   _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x3f/0x70
kernel:   free_to_partial_list+0x3d6/0x590
kernel:   __slab_free+0x1b7/0x310
kernel:   kmem_cache_free+0x52d/0x550
kernel:   putname+0x5d/0x70
kernel:   do_sys_openat2+0x1d7/0x310
kernel:   do_sys_open+0x51/0x80
kernel:   __x64_sys_openat+0x24/0x30
kernel:   do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x90
kernel:   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc
kernel: irq event stamp: 5120729
kernel: hardirqs last  enabled at (5120729): [<ffffffff9d149936>] trace_graph_return+0xd6/0x120
kernel: hardirqs last disabled at (5120728): [<ffffffff9d149950>] trace_graph_return+0xf0/0x120
kernel: softirqs last  enabled at (5069900): [<ffffffff9cf65b60>] return_to_handler+0x0/0x40
kernel: softirqs last disabled at (5067555): [<ffffffff9cf65b60>] return_to_handler+0x0/0x40
kernel:
        other info that might help us debug this:
kernel:  Possible unsafe locking scenario:
kernel:        CPU0
kernel:        ----
kernel:   lock(&local->queue_stop_reason_lock);
kernel:   <Interrupt>
kernel:     lock(&local->queue_stop_reason_lock);
kernel:
         *** DEADLOCK ***
kernel: 8 locks held by kworker/5:0/25656:
kernel:  #0: ffff9d618009d138 ((wq_completion)events_freezable){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x1ca/0x530
kernel:  #1: ffffb1ef4637fe68 ((work_completion)(&local->restart_work)){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x1ce/0x530
kernel:  #2: ffffffff9f166548 (rtnl_mutex){+.+.}-{3:3}, at: return_to_handler+0x0/0x40
kernel:  #3: ffff9d619
---truncated---
Affected products: vendor: Linux
product: Linux
default_status: unaffected
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
default_status: affected
Published: 2025-12-30T12:23:27.765Z