f2fs: read COW data with the original inode during atomic write
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: read COW data with the original inode during atomic write When updating an atomic-write file, f2fs_write_begin() may read the previously written data back from the COW inode: prepare_atomic_write_begin() locates the block in the COW inode and sets use_cow, and the read bio is then built with the COW inode: f2fs_submit_page_read(use_cow ? F2FS_I(inode)->cow_inode : inode, ...); and f2fs_grab_read_bio() decides whether to schedule fs-layer decryption (STEP_DECRYPT) for the bio based on that inode via fscrypt_inode_uses_fs_layer_crypto(). However, the folio being filled belongs to the original inode (folio->mapping->host == inode), and the data stored in the COW block was encrypted (or left as plaintext) using the original inode's context, not the COW inode's -- see f2fs_encrypt_one_page(), which keys off fio->page->mapping->host. fscrypt_decrypt_pagecache_blocks() likewise operates on folio->mapping->host. The COW inode is created as a tmpfile in the parent directory and inherits its encryption policy from there. With test_dummy_encryption the newly created COW inode gets the dummy policy and becomes encrypted, while a pre-existing regular file -- created before the policy applied, e.g. already present in the on-disk image -- stays unencrypted. The read path then sets STEP_DECRYPT based on the encrypted COW inode and calls fscrypt_decrypt_pagecache_blocks() on a folio whose host (the unencrypted original inode) has a NULL ->i_crypt_info, dereferencing it: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address ... KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000008-0x000000000000000f] RIP: 0010:fscrypt_decrypt_pagecache_blocks+0xa0/0x310 Workqueue: f2fs_post_read_wq f2fs_post_read_work Call Trace: fscrypt_decrypt_bio+0x1eb/0x340 f2fs_post_read_work+0xba/0x140 process_one_work+0x91c/0x1a40 worker_thread+0x677/0xe90 kthread+0x2bc/0x3a0 The COW inode is only needed to locate the on-disk block, and that block address is already resolved into @blkaddr by prepare_atomic_write_begin() via __find_data_block(cow_inode, ...); f2fs_submit_page_read() then reads from that physical @blkaddr directly, so the inode argument only selects the post-read crypto context, not which block is fetched. Reading with @inode therefore returns the same (latest, not-yet-committed) COW data, while making both the fs-layer decryption decision and the inline crypto path use the correct (original inode's) key. With the COW inode no longer used at the read site, the use_cow flag has no remaining consumer; drop it from f2fs_write_begin() and prepare_atomic_write_begin().
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.3, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-63811
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-wqxg-ff3c-39jf
- 2026-10-16 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@7e4ab3907f44dc243d026048d7f5d477dae9267b · CNA
- 2026-10-16 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@655d55c5740d37ffdf6233ff5fe21cea879407f1 +1 · CNA
- 2026-10-21 2 new references · CNA
References
Other 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bcc9df992f3cbc43f2ecfe0b22e428e50f326e72
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/655d55c5740d37ffdf6233ff5fe21cea879407f1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e4ab3907f44dc243d026048d7f5d477dae9267b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a92332f32a8d31a7eee47b1dc1d751cb3319908f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a41075acde0124d2f8a5f563068a5d63e8ffd57b
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Sources
- CVE-2026-63811 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-63811 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wqxg-ff3c-39jf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-63811 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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