# CVE-2024-36894: usb: gadget: f_fs: Fix race between aio_cancel() and AIO request complete

> A race condition in the Linux kernel USB gadget functionfs driver allows accessing freed memory, potentially causing a system crash or denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 May 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-36894, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-36894, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-36894

## What is CVE-2024-36894?

CVE-2024-36894 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 30 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

usb: gadget: f_fs: Fix race between aio_cancel() and AIO request complete

FFS based applications can utilize the aio_cancel() callback to dequeue
pending USB requests submitted to the UDC.  There is a scenario where the
FFS application issues an AIO cancel call, while the UDC is handling a
soft disconnect.  For a DWC3 based implementation, the callstack looks
like the following:

    DWC3 Gadget                               FFS Application
dwc3_gadget_soft_disconnect()              ...
  --> dwc3_stop_active_transfers()
    --> dwc3_gadget_giveback(-ESHUTDOWN)
      --> ffs_epfile_async_io_complete()   ffs_aio_cancel()
        --> usb_ep_free_request()            --> usb_ep_dequeue()

There is currently no locking implemented between the AIO completion
handler and AIO cancel, so the issue occurs if the completion routine is
running in parallel to an AIO cancel call coming from the FFS application.
As the completion call frees the USB request (io_data->req) the FFS
application is also referencing it for the usb_ep_dequeue() call.  This can
lead to accessing a stale/hanging pointer.

commit b566d38857fc ("usb: gadget: f_fs: use io_data->status consistently")
relocated the usb_ep_free_request() into ffs_epfile_async_io_complete().
However, in order to properly implement locking to mitigate this issue, the
spinlock can't be added to ffs_epfile_async_io_complete(), as
usb_ep_dequeue() (if successfully dequeuing a USB request) will call the
function driver's completion handler in the same context.  Hence, leading
into a deadlock.

Fix this issue by moving the usb_ep_free_request() back to
ffs_user_copy_worker(), and ensuring that it explicitly sets io_data->req
to NULL after freeing it within the ffs->eps_lock.  This resolves the race
condition above, as the ffs_aio_cancel() routine will not continue
attempting to dequeue a request that has already been freed, or the
ffs_user_copy_work() not freeing the USB request until the AIO cancel is
done referencing it.

This fix depends on
  commit b566d38857fc ("usb: gadget: f_fs: use io_data->status
  consistently")

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-36894?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-36894?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-36894 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-36894 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-36894 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-36894 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 30 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-36894 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36894/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36894/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-36894
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-36894
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-36894

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36894/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.