CVE-2026-23249
xfs: check for deleted cursors when revalidating two btrees
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: check for deleted cursors when revalidating two btrees The free space and inode btree repair functions will rebuild both btrees at the same time, after which it needs to evaluate both btrees to confirm that the corruptions are gone. However, Jiaming Zhang ran syzbot and produced a crash in the second xchk_allocbt call. His root-cause analysis is as follows (with minor corrections): In xrep_revalidate_allocbt(), xchk_allocbt() is called twice (first for BNOBT, second for CNTBT). The cause of this issue is that the first call nullified the cursor required by the second call. Let's first enter xrep_revalidate_allocbt() via following call chain: xfs_file_ioctl() -> xfs_ioc_scrubv_metadata() -> xfs_scrub_metadata() -> `sc->ops->repair_eval(sc)` -> xrep_revalidate_allocbt() xchk_allocbt() is called twice in this function. In the first call: /* Note that sc->sm->sm_type is XFS_SCRUB_TYPE_BNOPT now */ xchk_allocbt() -> xchk_btree() -> `bs->scrub_rec(bs, recp)` -> xchk_allocbt_rec() -> xchk_allocbt_xref() -> xchk_allocbt_xref_other() since sm_type is XFS_SCRUB_TYPE_BNOBT, pur is set to &sc->sa.cnt_cur. Kernel called xfs_alloc_get_rec() and returned -EFSCORRUPTED. Call chain: xfs_alloc_get_rec() -> xfs_btree_get_rec() -> xfs_btree_check_block() -> (XFS_IS_CORRUPT || XFS_TEST_ERROR), the former is false and the latter is true, return -EFSCORRUPTED. This should be caused by ioctl$XFS_IOC_ERROR_INJECTION I guess. Back to xchk_allocbt_xref_other(), after receiving -EFSCORRUPTED from xfs_alloc_get_rec(), kernel called xchk_should_check_xref(). In this function, *curpp (points to sc->sa.cnt_cur) is nullified. Back to xrep_revalidate_allocbt(), since sc->sa.cnt_cur has been nullified, it then triggered null-ptr-deref via xchk_allocbt() (second call) -> xchk_btree(). So. The bnobt revalidation failed on a cross-reference attempt, so we deleted the cntbt cursor, and then crashed when we tried to revalidate the cntbt. Therefore, check for a null cntbt cursor before that revalidation, and mark the repair incomplete. Also we can ignore the second tree entirely if the first tree was rebuilt but is already corrupt. Apply the same fix to xrep_revalidate_iallocbt because it has the same problem.
INFO
Published Date :
March 18, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
March 18, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-23249
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.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Check for null cntbt cursor before revalidation.
- Mark repair incomplete if first tree is corrupt.
- Apply fix to xrep_revalidate_iallocbt.
- Update the Linux kernel.
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-2026-23249.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
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specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-23249 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-2026-23249
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).
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CVE-2026-23249 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.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Mar. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: check for deleted cursors when revalidating two btrees The free space and inode btree repair functions will rebuild both btrees at the same time, after which it needs to evaluate both btrees to confirm that the corruptions are gone. However, Jiaming Zhang ran syzbot and produced a crash in the second xchk_allocbt call. His root-cause analysis is as follows (with minor corrections): In xrep_revalidate_allocbt(), xchk_allocbt() is called twice (first for BNOBT, second for CNTBT). The cause of this issue is that the first call nullified the cursor required by the second call. Let's first enter xrep_revalidate_allocbt() via following call chain: xfs_file_ioctl() -> xfs_ioc_scrubv_metadata() -> xfs_scrub_metadata() -> `sc->ops->repair_eval(sc)` -> xrep_revalidate_allocbt() xchk_allocbt() is called twice in this function. In the first call: /* Note that sc->sm->sm_type is XFS_SCRUB_TYPE_BNOPT now */ xchk_allocbt() -> xchk_btree() -> `bs->scrub_rec(bs, recp)` -> xchk_allocbt_rec() -> xchk_allocbt_xref() -> xchk_allocbt_xref_other() since sm_type is XFS_SCRUB_TYPE_BNOBT, pur is set to &sc->sa.cnt_cur. Kernel called xfs_alloc_get_rec() and returned -EFSCORRUPTED. Call chain: xfs_alloc_get_rec() -> xfs_btree_get_rec() -> xfs_btree_check_block() -> (XFS_IS_CORRUPT || XFS_TEST_ERROR), the former is false and the latter is true, return -EFSCORRUPTED. This should be caused by ioctl$XFS_IOC_ERROR_INJECTION I guess. Back to xchk_allocbt_xref_other(), after receiving -EFSCORRUPTED from xfs_alloc_get_rec(), kernel called xchk_should_check_xref(). In this function, *curpp (points to sc->sa.cnt_cur) is nullified. Back to xrep_revalidate_allocbt(), since sc->sa.cnt_cur has been nullified, it then triggered null-ptr-deref via xchk_allocbt() (second call) -> xchk_btree(). So. The bnobt revalidation failed on a cross-reference attempt, so we deleted the cntbt cursor, and then crashed when we tried to revalidate the cntbt. Therefore, check for a null cntbt cursor before that revalidation, and mark the repair incomplete. Also we can ignore the second tree entirely if the first tree was rebuilt but is already corrupt. Apply the same fix to xrep_revalidate_iallocbt because it has the same problem. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55e03b8cbe2783ec9acfb88e8adb946ed504e117 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5991e96f2ae82df60a3e4ed00f3432d9f3502a99 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b04baa848c0543b240b1bd8aecff470382f6f154 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d69de525bc7ab27713342080bf50826df3f6a68f