The GETALL and SETALL commands in semctl(2) recorded the number of semaphores in the target set, dropped the lock protecting the set, allocated a buffer sized for that count, and reacquired the lock.…

Summary

The GETALL and SETALL commands in semctl(2) recorded the number of semaphores in the target set, dropped the lock protecting the set, allocated a buffer sized for that count, and reacquired the lock. A sequence-number check was used to verify that the set had not been replaced in the interim, but the sequence number wraps after 0x8000 create/destroy cycles. By rapidly destroying and recreating semaphore sets at the same index, another process can cause the sequence number to wrap, allowing a …