During rmmod of ath12k module with SLUB debug enabled, following print is
seen -

=============================================================================
BUG kmalloc-1k (Not tainted): Object already free
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allocated in ath12k_reg_build_regd+0x94/0xa20 [ath12k] age=10470 cpu=0 pid=0
 __kmalloc_noprof+0xf4/0x368
 ath12k_reg_build_regd+0x94/0xa20 [ath12k]
 ath12k_wmi_op_rx+0x199c/0x2c14 [ath12k]
 ath12k_htc_rx_completion_handler+0x398/0x554 [ath12k]
 ath12k_ce_per_engine_service+0x248/0x368 [ath12k]
 ath12k_pci_ce_workqueue+0x28/0x50 [ath12k]
 process_one_work+0x14c/0x28c
 bh_worker+0x22c/0x27c
 workqueue_softirq_action+0x80/0x90
 tasklet_action+0x14/0x3c
 handle_softirqs+0x108/0x240
 __do_softirq+0x14/0x20
Freed in ath12k_reg_free+0x40/0x74 [ath12k] age=136 cpu=2 pid=166
 kfree+0x148/0x248
 ath12k_reg_free+0x40/0x74 [ath12k]
 ath12k_core_hw_group_destroy+0x68/0xac [ath12k]
 ath12k_core_deinit+0xd8/0x124 [ath12k]
 ath12k_pci_remove+0x6c/0x130 [ath12k]
 pci_device_remove+0x44/0xe8
 device_remove+0x4c/0x80
 device_release_driver_internal+0x1d0/0x22c
 driver_detach+0x50/0x98
 bus_remove_driver+0x70/0xf4
 driver_unregister+0x30/0x60
 pci_unregister_driver+0x24/0x9c
 ath12k_pci_exit+0x18/0x24 [ath12k]
 __arm64_sys_delete_module+0x1a0/0x2a8
 invoke_syscall+0x48/0x110
 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x40/0xe0
Slab 0xfffffdffc0033600 objects=10 used=6 fp=0xffff000000cdcc00 flags=0x3fffe0000000240(workingset|head|node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
Object 0xffff000000cdcc00 @offset=19456 fp=0xffff000000cde400
[...]

This issue arises because in ath12k_core_hw_group_destroy(), each device
calls ath12k_core_soc_destroy() for itself and all its partners within the
same group. Since ath12k_core_hw_group_destroy() is invoked for each
device, this results in a double free condition, eventually causing the
SLUB bug.

To resolve this, set the freed pointers to NULL. And since there could be
a race condition to read these pointers, guard ath12k_core_soc_destroy()
with the mutex lock.

Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.3.1-00173-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1

Fixes: 6f245ea0ec6c ("wifi: ath12k: introduce device group abstraction")
Signed-off-by: Aditya Kumar Singh <quic_adisi@quicinc.com>
---
 drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/core.c | 2 ++
 drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/reg.c  | 4 +++-
 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/core.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/core.c
index 37dbef78b1999fb998443a94f0ffb81b2a4d2281..31e7c71c86ab98f1e7df2869d0b7a1dbc2ec1de0 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/core.c
@@ -1776,7 +1776,9 @@ static void ath12k_core_hw_group_destroy(struct ath12k_hw_group *ag)
 		if (!ab)
 			continue;
 
+		mutex_lock(&ab->core_lock);
 		ath12k_core_soc_destroy(ab);
+		mutex_unlock(&ab->core_lock);
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&ag->mutex);
 }
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/reg.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/reg.c
index 439d61f284d89222e79c05d6cff8e85d0d315aad..e34ae29a8a50fcd9452f7d9456b7be7a8ded6f9f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/reg.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/reg.c
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause-Clear
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2018-2021 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2021-2024 Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2021-2025 Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
  */
 #include <linux/rtnetlink.h>
 #include "core.h"
@@ -780,5 +780,7 @@ void ath12k_reg_free(struct ath12k_base *ab)
 	for (i = 0; i < ab->hw_params->max_radios; i++) {
 		kfree(ab->default_regd[i]);
 		kfree(ab->new_regd[i]);
+		ab->default_regd[i] = NULL;
+		ab->new_regd[i] = NULL;
 	}
 }

-- 
2.34.1