[PATCH] gpiolib-sysfs: fix use-after-free in error path

From: Antonio Quartulli
Date: Sun Jun 22 2025 - 18:02:58 EST


When invoking device_create_with_groups() its return
value is stored in `data->cdev_base`.
However, in case of faiure, `data` is first
freed and then derefernced in order to return
`data->cdev_base`.

Fix the use-after-free by extracting the error
code before free'ing `data`.

This issue was reported by Coverity Scan.

Addresses-Coverity-ID: 1644512 ("Memory - illegal accesses (USE_AFTER_FREE)")
Signed-off-by: Antonio Quartulli <antonio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
index 956411fc467a..c4c21e25c682 100644
--- a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
+++ b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-sysfs.c
@@ -741,6 +741,7 @@ int gpiochip_sysfs_register(struct gpio_device *gdev)
struct gpiodev_data *data;
struct gpio_chip *chip;
struct device *parent;
+ int err;

/*
* Many systems add gpio chips for SOC support very early,
@@ -781,8 +782,9 @@ int gpiochip_sysfs_register(struct gpio_device *gdev)
GPIOCHIP_NAME "%d",
chip->base);
if (IS_ERR(data->cdev_base)) {
+ err = PTR_ERR(data->cdev_base);
kfree(data);
- return PTR_ERR(data->cdev_base);
+ return err;
}

return 0;
--
2.49.0