CVE-2026-43118

btrfs: fix zero size inode with non-zero size after log replay

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: May 6, 2026 at 07:40 AM UTC
Updated: October 30, 2026 at 01:18 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix zero size inode with non-zero size after log replay When logging that an inode exists, as part of logging a new name or logging new dir entries for a directory, we always set the generation of the logged inode item to 0. This is to signal during log replay (in overwrite_item()), that we should not set the i_size since we only logged that an inode exists, so the i_size of the inode in the subvolume tree must be preserved (as when we log new names or that an inode exists, we don't log extents). This works fine except when we have already logged an inode in full mode or it's the first time we are logging an inode created in a past transaction, that inode has a new i_size of 0 and then we log a new name for the inode (due to a new hardlink or a rename), in which case we log an i_size of 0 for the inode and a generation of 0, which causes the log replay code to not update the inode's i_size to 0 (in overwrite_item()). An example scenario: mkdir /mnt/dir xfs_io -f -c "pwrite 0 64K" /mnt/dir/foo sync xfs_io -c "truncate 0" -c "fsync" /mnt/dir/foo ln /mnt/dir/foo /mnt/dir/bar xfs_io -c "fsync" /mnt/dir <power fail> After log replay the file remains with a size of 64K. This is because when we first log the inode, when we fsync file foo, we log its current i_size of 0, and then when we create a hard link we log again the inode in exists mode (LOG_INODE_EXISTS) but we set a generation of 0 for the inode item we add to the log tree, so during log replay overwrite_item() sees that the generation is 0 and i_size is 0 so we skip updating the inode's i_size from 64K to 0. Fix this by making sure at fill_inode_item() we always log the real generation of the inode if it was logged in the current transaction with the i_size we logged before. Also if an inode created in a previous transaction is logged in exists mode only, make sure we log the i_size stored in the inode item located from the commit root, so that if we log multiple times that the inode exists we get the correct i_size. A test case for fstests will follow soon.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

2.6.30 ≤ v < 6.18.246.19 ≤ v < 6.19.1412fcfd22fe5bf4fe74710232098bc101af4979952.6.307.07.0 rc17.0 rc27.0 rc37.0 rc47.0 rc5
Vendor states this is fixed in 03e966b63df5b06790310c1faaf3e0cb43adea8b (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5254d4181add9dfaa5e3519edd71cc8f752b2f85 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in fddb157536e67a055597f00a8b4922d5f5ed0826 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 2.6.30 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.114 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.18.24 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.19.14 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.160 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 7.0 (unaffected)

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
NVD-CWE-noinfo

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card