Executive brief
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's F2FS file system could cause system processes to hang indefinitely when reading certain files. This occurs because the system fails to properly complete data requests if an error happens during a large data transfer, leaving the requested information locked. This can lead to a denial-of-service where applications or the entire system become unresponsive during disk operations.
Technical details
A logic error in `f2fs_read_data_large_folio()` within the F2FS file system driver fails to submit accumulated read bios if a subsequent readahead folio encounters an error before its blocks are added to the bio. When `folio_in_bio` is false, the error path returns immediately, leaving previously accumulated bios unsubmitted. This results in the associated folios never receiving a completion signal, causing any threads waiting on those locked folios to hang indefinitely. The fix ensures that errors are routed through a common path that submits any pending bios before returning. This is primarily a local denial-of-service vulnerability.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel 7.0 to 7.1.3
Timeline
- 2026-05-20: other: Patch authored
- 2026-07-19: disclosed: CVE published