Out-of-bounds read in Zephyr ext2 block-bitmap validation from a crafted s_blocks_count
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-125 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The Zephyr ext2 filesystem driver validates the on-disk block bitmap in ext2_init_fs() (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_impl.c) by passing fs_blocks = s_blocks_count - s_first_data_block to ext2_bitmap_count_set(). That helper (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_bitmap.c) treats its argument as a number of bits and reads one bitmap byte per eight bits, but the bitmap buffer (BGROUP_BLOCK_BITMAP) is a single fetched block of only fs->block_size bytes (capacity fs->block_size * 8 bits). s_blocks_count and s_first_data_block are taken verbatim from the superblock and were never bounded against this single-group capacity; ext2_verify_disk_superblock() checks the magic, revision, and block-size shift but not the block count. A crafted ext2 image with an oversized s_blocks_count (up to ~4 billion, against a maximum 4096-byte block / 32768-bit bitmap) makes ext2_bitmap_count_set() scan roughly 512 MB of memory past the bitmap block — a large out-of-bounds read of the static block slab and adjacent memory. The defect is reached during mount: ext2_init_fs() is invoked from ext2_mount() (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_ops.c), the registered .mount operation. Any path that mounts an attacker-supplied ext2 image (removable media, a disk/flash partition, or a downloaded image) triggers it. The kernel-privileged parser operates on attacker-controlled data, so the bug is exploitable wherever untrusted ext2 media can be mounted. Impact is an out-of-bounds read only: the resulting bit count is compared internally and the mount is rejected, so no attacker-controlled bytes are returned (not a useful information leak). The ~512 MB over-read will almost certainly cross an unmapped or MPU-protected boundary and fault, crashing the system — a denial of service triggered by mounting a single malformed image. The fix rejects any image whose fs_blocks exceeds fs->block_size * 8 before the scan.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zephyrproject | zephyr | 3.5.0 to before 4.3.2; 4.4.0 to before 4.4.2 | 4.3.2, 4.4.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- zephyr Vendorzephyrproject Affected 3.5.0 to before 4.3.2; 4.4.0 to before 4.4.2 Fixed in 4.3.2, 4.4.2 Patch available CNA
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:zephyrproject:zephyr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | zephyrproject |
- cpe:2.3:o:zephyrproject:zephyr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·zephyrproject
Remediation
- Fix · CNA zephyr (zephyrproject) Fixed in 4.3.2, 4.4.2
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
zephyrproject zephyr 4.3.2, 4.4.2
5 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 1 MEDIUM, 4 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-11220 Stack buffer overflow in OCPP GetConfiguration key parsingPriority MEDIUM 51
- TI-2026-11221 Zephyr ext2 mount: unvalidated superblock block size causes out-of-bounds write from a crafted filesystem imagePriority LOW 32
- TI-2026-11222 Out-of-bounds stack write in Zephyr virtio PCI driver from unvalidated device-supplied capability lengthPriority LOW 29
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-13478
- 2026-11-04 Fix available: [email protected] · CNA
References
Patch 1
Other 1
More zephyrproject vulnerabilities
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- TI-2026-01361 dns: memory‑safety issue in the DNS name parser CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-09174 Unterminated URI buffer causes out-of-bounds read in LwM2M firmware pull (Package URI) CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-09168 Stack buffer overflow in `net_ipaddr_parse()` IPv4 address-with-port parsing in `subsys/net/ip/utils.c` CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-09625 net: lib: http_server: Buffer Under-read CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2021-02863 Usb bluetooth device ACL read cb buffer overflow CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.6
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences