5.5
MEDIUM CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-13478
Out-of-bounds read in Zephyr ext2 block-bitmap validation from a crafted s_blocks_count
Description

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.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 25, 2026, 5:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 25, 2026, 5:17 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-13478 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Zephyrproject zephyr
2 Zephyrproject zephyr
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM e2e69745-5e70-4e92-8431-deb5529a81ad
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Fix an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the ext2 filesystem driver by validating block counts before bitmap processing.
  • Validate fs_blocks against block size * 8 before bitmap scan.
  • Ensure s_blocks_count is bounded against block capacity.
  • Reject malformed ext2 images during mount.
  • Update the ext2 filesystem driver.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-13478.

URL Resource
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/9c0f869da07009d9d4bca7a99e995f9b8cea7da2
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-gj29-7f7m-4c29
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-13478 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-13478 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-13478 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-13478 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Aug. 25, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'vendor': 'zephyrproject', 'product': 'zephyr', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3.5.0', 'lessThan': '4.4.2', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'packageName': 'zephyr', 'programFiles': ['subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_impl.c'], 'collectionURL': 'https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
    Added Description 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.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-125
    Added Reference https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/9c0f869da07009d9d4bca7a99e995f9b8cea7da2
    Added Reference https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-gj29-7f7m-4c29
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.