Executive brief
A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's Distributed Lock Manager (DLM), a component used to coordinate resources in clustered environments. An attacker can send a specially crafted network message that triggers a memory error, potentially allowing them to crash the system or execute unauthorized commands. This could lead to a complete loss of system availability and the exposure of sensitive data across the cluster.
Technical details
This vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) and improper handling of length parameter (CWE-130) within the Linux kernel's Distributed Lock Manager (DLM) subsystem. The root cause is located in the `dlm_search_rsb_tree()` function in `fs/dlm/lock.c`, where a `len` parameter derived from unvalidated network messages is used in a `memcpy()` operation into a fixed-size buffer (`key[DLM_RESNAME_MAXLEN]`). If the provided length exceeds `DLM_RESNAME_MAXLEN`, a stack-based buffer overflow occurs. The attack vector is over the network, requiring no prior authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation can result in a kernel panic (DoS) or arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges. Patches have been released for various stable kernel branches and Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel 7210cb7a72a22303cdb225bd1aea28697a17bbae to 67288113c5e6cf9e659b4065c0ed6f16100e0c71
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-01-20: other: Initial patch authored
- 2026-05-06: advisory: CVE published
- 2026-06-10: patched: Red Hat security advisory issued
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/080e5563f878c64e697b89e7439d730d0daad882
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/082083c9fbd99422a0370fe2102144a231c9f5d6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f053a2e7209d326cbbc07738fa6d6893d307438
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/67288113c5e6cf9e659b4065c0ed6f16100e0c71
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25120
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25121
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25217