CVE-2026-98844
netfs: clear post-EOF pagecache when extending a file via write
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: clear post-EOF pagecache when extending a file via write Fix netfs to erase the contents of a hole created after the EOF by an ordinary write if dirty data has been previously left there by writes through an mmapped region. Neither the buffered nor the unbuffered/DIO write path clears that stale pagecache. Zero the tail of the folio straddling the EOF before an extending write. That is the only folio that can hold data written past the EOF through an mmap, as pages wholly beyond the EOF can't be faulted in. The folio is zeroed rather than dropped so a concurrent extending write can't lose data. Both write paths downgrade the i_rwsem to shared, so extending writes can run concurrently and the i_size read by the caller may be stale by the time the folio is locked. Re-read i_size under the folio lock and clamp the zeroed range up to it, so a racing write that already put data into the folio isn't clobbered. Wait for any writeback on the folio to finish before zeroing it so that the pagecache isn't modified while it may still be read by the transport during transmission. Honour IOCB_NOWAIT by returning -EAGAIN rather than blocking on the folio lock, on writeback, or in folio_mkclean()'s rmap walk when the folio is mapped. truncate_pagecache() can't be used here: it must be called with the i_rwsem held exclusively, but these write paths only hold it shared, and it would block unconditionally, breaking IOCB_NOWAIT. Callers that hold i_rwsem exclusively for the whole resize (truncate, setattr, fallocate, clone) exclude any genuine concurrent buffered writer, so staleness can instead be decided from the folio's dirty state, as pagecache_isize_extended() already does for filesystems that serialise writes against truncate/setattr via a single i_rwsem. Export netfs_clear_stale_post_isize() helper to handle such case. The helper is required by the CIFS client to fix generic/363.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 18, 2026, 4:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 18, 2026, 4:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to include the fix.
- Apply patches related to netfs and file extensions.
- Ensure correct handling of pagecache after writes.
- Verify file integrity after extending operations.
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-2026-98844.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-98844 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-2026-98844
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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The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-98844 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-98844 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
Oct. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: clear post-EOF pagecache when extending a file via write Fix netfs to erase the contents of a hole created after the EOF by an ordinary write if dirty data has been previously left there by writes through an mmapped region. Neither the buffered nor the unbuffered/DIO write path clears that stale pagecache. Zero the tail of the folio straddling the EOF before an extending write. That is the only folio that can hold data written past the EOF through an mmap, as pages wholly beyond the EOF can't be faulted in. The folio is zeroed rather than dropped so a concurrent extending write can't lose data. Both write paths downgrade the i_rwsem to shared, so extending writes can run concurrently and the i_size read by the caller may be stale by the time the folio is locked. Re-read i_size under the folio lock and clamp the zeroed range up to it, so a racing write that already put data into the folio isn't clobbered. Wait for any writeback on the folio to finish before zeroing it so that the pagecache isn't modified while it may still be read by the transport during transmission. Honour IOCB_NOWAIT by returning -EAGAIN rather than blocking on the folio lock, on writeback, or in folio_mkclean()'s rmap walk when the folio is mapped. truncate_pagecache() can't be used here: it must be called with the i_rwsem held exclusively, but these write paths only hold it shared, and it would block unconditionally, breaking IOCB_NOWAIT. Callers that hold i_rwsem exclusively for the whole resize (truncate, setattr, fallocate, clone) exclude any genuine concurrent buffered writer, so staleness can instead be decided from the folio's dirty state, as pagecache_isize_extended() already does for filesystems that serialise writes against truncate/setattr via a single i_rwsem. Export netfs_clear_stale_post_isize() helper to handle such case. The helper is required by the CIFS client to fix generic/363. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98844.json">CVE-2026-98844</a> Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69bf14300b50631e7c2271289d347bbd1b19a06c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98f6a4589e0f5f6cf819b8dd45605efc481c06ce Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7036a73671fc83d299bc770710fe996d9fef9ca Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8f7d86b3537e885ee620898a38b749fba8a8456