Deadlock Vulnerability in Linux Kernel Due to Zone Write Plug Error Recovery

CVE-2024-55642

Summary

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel affects the zone write plug error recovery mechanism, creating a potential for deadlocks under certain conditions. When a write operation to a zoned block device fails, the system relies on error recovery processes to manage the write pointer tracking. However, if the device queue is frozen during this error recovery, it can lead to requests being blocked indefinitely, as resources necessary for further execution cannot be allocated. The update proposes a critical approach to mitigate this issue by removing automatic error recovery operations tied to write failures. This change requires users or applications to explicitly handle zone reporting, preventing the deadlock scenario and improving system reliability.

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