CVE-2026-98975 - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings
When an exchange covers both files from offset 0 to i_disk_size,
xmi_can_exchange_reflink_flags() assumes every mapping moved and hands
the reflink flag over to the other file.
That assumption is wrong. A file can still own shared blocks past
i_disk_size, e.g. after EXCHANGE_RANGE_TO_EOF sets a smaller size
without unmapping anything. The flag is cleared anyway, and the next
write to such a block happens in place instead of CoW, corrupting the
other file that shares it.
Commit a23eca88448e ("xfs: fix exchange-range reflink flag clearing
issue with INO1_WRITTEN") fixed one instance of this. Rather than add
another special case, stop moving the flags.
xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink() already sets the flag on both inodes
before the exchange, so both just keep it.
Nothing sets CLEAR_INO{1,2}_REFLINK anymore. Intents logged by older
kernels may still carry them; recovery already masks them off, so they
stay in the log format mask and are ignored.
XFS_IOC_SWAPEXT has the same problem: it moves the reflink flag from
one inode to the other along with the extents. Just removing that is
not enough here: the exchange path flags both inodes up front in
xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink(), but swapext has no such step, so the
inode receiving the shared extents would be left without the flag.
Set it on both inodes instead, and make sure both have a CoW fork,
since an inode with the reflink flag is expected to have one.
The flag now stays until FALLOC_FL_UNSHARE_RANGE, xfs_scrub, or a
truncate to zero removes it.
HIGH
Severity & confidence
Source severityhigh
Platform severityhigh
Confidencehigh
Exploitationunknown
CVSS7.8
Affected
Vendorslinux
Reporting sources (1)
NIST NVD - National Vulnerability Database
Timeline & provenance
Published2026-10-23T13:17:19
Last updated2026-10-26T08:36:50
Ingested2026-10-25T14:28:12
FreshnessNEAR-REAL-TIME
Threat typevulnerability
Recommended action
No recommended action published with this item - review the original source.
Next steps
- Identify affected systems in your environment.
- Apply the vendor patch or mitigation guidance.
- Review logs for indicators described in the advisory.
- Follow the affected vendor/product to track updates.
Confidence explanation
Reported by a government or cert-grade source (CISA, NCSC, NVD, ENISA, MSRC).
Source type: standards ยท Original: NIST NVD - National Vulnerability Database