ext4: fix string copying in parse_apply_sb_mount_options()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix string copying in parse_apply_sb_mount_options() strscpy_pad() can't be used to copy a non-NUL-term string into a NUL-term string of possibly bigger size. Commit 0efc5990bca5 ("string.h: Introduce memtostr() and memtostr_pad()") provides additional information in that regard. So if this happens, the following warning is observed: strnlen: detected buffer overflow: 65 byte read of buffer size 64 WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 28655 at lib/string_helpers.c:1032 __fortify_report+0x96/0xc0 lib/string_helpers.c:1032 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 28655 Comm: syz-executor.3 Not tainted 6.12.54-syzkaller-00144-g5f0270f1ba00 #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:__fortify_report+0x96/0xc0 lib/string_helpers.c:1032 Call Trace: <TASK> __fortify_panic+0x1f/0x30 lib/string_helpers.c:1039 strnlen include/linux/fortify-string.h:235 [inline] sized_strscpy include/linux/fortify-string.h:309 [inline] parse_apply_sb_mount_options fs/ext4/super.c:2504 [inline] __ext4_fill_super fs/ext4/super.c:5261 [inline] ext4_fill_super+0x3c35/0xad00 fs/ext4/super.c:5706 get_tree_bdev_flags+0x387/0x620 fs/super.c:1636 vfs_get_tree+0x93/0x380 fs/super.c:1814 do_new_mount fs/namespace.c:3553 [inline] path_mount+0x6ae/0x1f70 fs/namespace.c:3880 do_mount fs/namespace.c:3893 [inline] __do_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:4103 [inline] __se_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:4080 [inline] __x64_sys_mount+0x280/0x300 fs/namespace.c:4080 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x64/0x140 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e Since userspace is expected to provide s_mount_opts field to be at most 63 characters long with the ending byte being NUL-term, use a 64-byte buffer which matches the size of s_mount_opts, so that strscpy_pad() does its job properly. Return with error if the user still managed to provide a non-NUL-term string here. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.10.246 to before 5.10.248; 6.1.158 to before 6.1.160; 6.6.114 to before 6.6.120; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.64; 5.4.301 to before 5.5; 6.17.4 to before 6.18 | 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 5.5, 6.18 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.18 and later | 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 6.18.3, 6.19 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.10.246 to before 5.10.248; 6.1.158 to before 6.1.160; 6.6.114 to before 6.6.120; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.64; 5.4.301 to before 5.5; 6.17.4 to before 6.18 Fixed in 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 5.5, 6.18 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.18 and later Fixed in 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 6.18.3, 6.19 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 10
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.4.301 to before 5.5; 5.10.246 to before 5.10.248; 6.1.158 to before 6.1.160; 6.6.114 to before 6.6.120; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.64; 6.17.4 to before 6.18; 6.18.1 to before 6.18.3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.18 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc8:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc8 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.4.301 to before 5.5; 5.10.246 to before 5.10.248; 6.1.158 to before 6.1.160; 6.6.114 to before 6.6.120; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.64; 6.17.4 to before 6.18; 6.18.1 to before 6.18.3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.18 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc8:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc8 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 5.5, 6.18
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.248, 6.1.160, 6.6.120, 6.12.64, 6.18.3, 6.19
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-71123
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mcqf-m32c-3xwp
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/52ac96c4a2dd7bc47666000440b0602d9742e820
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e37143560e37869d51b7d9e0ac61fc48895f8a0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/902ca2356f1e3ec5355c5808ad5d3f9d0095b0cc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db9ee13fab0267eccf6544ee35b16c9522db9aac
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5bbacbbf1ca4419861dca3c6b82707c10e9c021c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee5a977b4e771cc181f39d504426dbd31ed701cc
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-71123 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-71123 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mcqf-m32c-3xwp · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-71123 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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