ceph: bound xattr value length in __build_xattrs()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ceph: bound xattr value length in __build_xattrs() __build_xattrs() decodes the MDS-supplied xattr blob one attribute at a time. For each attribute it reads a 32-bit name length, advances past the name bytes, reads a 32-bit value length, records the value pointer, and advances past the value bytes. The two length fields are read with ceph_decode_32_safe(), but the value bytes themselves are advanced over with a bare "p += len" and no ceph_decode_need() check that "len" bytes remain in the blob. For every attribute except the last, the next iteration's ceph_decode_32_safe() on the following name length implicitly verifies that the previous value did not run past the blob end. The final attribute has no successor, so its decoded value length is never checked against the blob bounds. A malicious or compromised metadata server can set the last attribute's value length larger than the bytes actually present in the blob. The blob is a dedicated kvmalloc() allocation sized to the wire length (ceph_buffer_new() in ceph_fill_inode()). __set_xattr() records the oversized length in xattr->val_len verbatim, and a later getxattr(2) runs memcpy(value, xattr->val, xattr->val_len) into a user-supplied buffer, copying bytes past the end of the allocation back to user space. Impact: a malicious metadata server discloses adjacent kernel heap bytes to a local user via getxattr(2) on a CephFS file. Add the missing ceph_decode_need() so an out-of-bounds value length on the final attribute fails the decode and returns -EIO instead of being stored.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.34 and later | 5.10.270, 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.109, 6.18.50, 7.2.4, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.34 and later Fixed in 5.10.270, 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.109, 6.18.50, 7.2.4, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.270, 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.109, 6.18.50, 7.2.4, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-89649
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j8wr-c6w3-j472
- 2026-10-18 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/848b80ca6b410f350d08b8ac19a00ef88223f2ea
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01e3f19c301d492e12f16b3b463ac14d7cf3ebe7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb0cd79ae80476d1bc06bd9678484b6736f19588
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/61f085cb8976c9cebc90e1a8933e4cc1ad8b0fce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38be2f3c41ecaba58bb92dc16603e09ba9fd64f1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dd356310b1660215f9a3626580bf8b363ef981e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b12b3320c81fd72ab36388fb2445fec9c3038f10
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/68d541754d6cd3bb98d1fd8314f57e5eb533557d
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Sources
- CVE-2026-89649 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-89649 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j8wr-c6w3-j472 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-89649 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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