Executive brief
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network filesystem (netfs) component could cause data read operations to be incorrectly abandoned during retry attempts. This issue affects how the system handles network-based file storage, potentially leading to data corruption, system instability, or unauthorized information disclosure. Organizations using affected Linux versions for network-attached storage or cloud environments should apply the available kernel patches to ensure data integrity and service availability.
Technical details
A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's netfs library, specifically within the read retry logic in 'fs/netfs/read_retry.c'. The issue stems from the 'subreq' variable not being properly initialized or updated before jumping to the abandonment routine during a retry loop. This can lead to an out-of-bounds read or a kernel 'oops' (crash) if the system attempts to access an invalid or deleted subrequest pointer. The vulnerability is triggered under specific network retry conditions and has been addressed by ensuring the subrequest pointer is correctly set before abandonment and cleared after discarding superfluous subrequests. Patches are available for multiple stable kernel branches including 6.12.y, 6.18.y, and 6.19.y.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel 6.12 to 6.18.21, 6.19 to 6.19.11, 7.0-rc1 to 7.0-rc6
Timeline
- 2026-03-18: other: Patch authored
- 2026-04-22: disclosed: CVE published
- 2026-05-19: advisory: NVD last modified with enrichment data