namei: don't reveal overmounted entries in refwalk
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-98980 |
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| State | PUBLISHED |
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| Assigner | Linux |
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| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
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| Published | 2026-10-23 13:17:19 UTC |
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| Updated | 2026-10-23 13:17:19 UTC |
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| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
namei: don't reveal overmounted entries in refwalk
In rcuwalk the dentry is validated before it is accepted. step_into()
step_into() rechecks d_seq and __follow_mount_rcu() rechecks mount_lock.
An entry that gets unlinked in between causes the lookup to retry and
miss.
A refwalk doesn't do this. lookup_fast() takes a reference on the hashed
dentry and simply accepts it. So an unlink that happens after the
reference was taken isn't seen by refwalk. That's fine for a simple
file. We just happened to open it before it was unlinked, no problem.
For a mountpoint and specifically a locked mountpoint it very much
isn't. The unlink detaches all mounts and then removes the name. Any
refwalk that hasn't traversed the mounts yet simply reveals the
underlying entry. It's a very narrow window but it can be hit:
reads of a covered file in 60 s, 3 walkers, ~15000 unlinks
no widening 27
that step + 200 us 3741
See the appended patch for a more reliable reproducer.
So check the entry after step_into(). unlink(), rmdir() and rename()
mark the dentry with dont_mount() before they detach the mounts and
remove the dentry.
So a dentry that is marked with DCACHE_CANT_MOUNT and is unhashed by the
time its mounts were looked at is a name that was unlinked under the
refwalk. DCACHE_CANT_MOUNT is read after the mounts were looked up and
it is set before they are detached by detach_mounts(). A refwalk that
missed the mounts will see DCACHE_CANT_MOUNT.
Plain d_unlinked() is fine. A rename takes the dentry off its hash chain
but ___d_drop() leaves d_hash.pprev set. So only __d_drop() and a rename
over the dentry unhash it. The only move that flips IS_ROOT splices in a
disconnected alias. That doesn't have DCACHE_CANT_MOUNT set.
Add the to step_into_slowpath(). ".." and LOOKUP_DOWN may legitimately
land on an unhashed directory. A refwalk that crossed onto a mount has
path.mnt different from nd->path.mnt. A dentry that a filesystem dropped
on its own (d_invalidate(), d_drop()) doesn't have the flag set and is
treated as before.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
/*
* unlink_covered: unlink a file that is a mountpoint in a detached copy of
* its mount, against walkers that open it through that copy.
*
* A is a tmpfs with the file f1 (content SECRET_F) and the plain file
* MARK_A. A' is an open_tree(OPEN_TREE_CLONE) copy of A with MARK_A bound
* on A'/f1, held through an O_PATH fd on its root once the tree fd is
* closed. Walkers open f1 through that fd while the driver unlinks A/f1,
* where nothing is mounted on it. A walker may read MARK_A or get ENOENT.
* A read of SECRET_F is a hit: the name was found after its mount was
* gone. The lockless walks use openat2(RESOLVE_CACHED).
*
* usage: unlink_covered [-t seconds] [-w walkers]
*/
#ifndef _GNU_SOURCE
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#endif
#include <errno.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <stdatomic.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <sys/mount.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <sys/syscall.h>
#include <linux/openat2.h>
#ifndef __NR_open_tree
#define __NR_open_tree 428
#endif
#ifndef __NR_move_mount
#define __NR_move_mount 429
#endif
#ifndef __NR_openat2
#define __NR_openat2 437
#endif
#ifndef OPEN_TREE_CLONE
#define OPEN_TREE_CLONE 1
#endif
#ifndef OPEN_TREE_CLOEXEC
#define OPEN_TREE_CLOEXEC O_CLOEXEC
#endif
#ifndef MOVE_MOUNT_F_EMPTY_PATH
#define MOVE_MOUNT_F_EMPTY_PATH 0x00000004
#endif
#define WORK "/tmp/uc"
#define ADIR WORK "/A"
static int duration = 60, nwalkers = 3;
static atomic_int stop, writer_waiting;
static pthread_rwlock_t cur_lock = PTHREAD_RWLOCK_INITIALIZER;
static int cur_fd = -1; /* the root of A', -1 while there is none */
static atomic_long n_unlink, n_walk, n_mark, n_enoent, n_othe
---truncated--- |
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Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
affected 8ed936b5671bfb33d89bc60bdcc7cf0470ba52fe e2b10181d913b4efa3a8dc67a532f859aa5f95e0 git |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
affected 8ed936b5671bfb33d89bc60bdcc7cf0470ba52fe 5f97df8ca7fadf5b53954f50073445ba193902c0 git |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
affected 8ed936b5671bfb33d89bc60bdcc7cf0470ba52fe b43ff2deef48260bfbdc0dcb520f7929bd3e4007 git |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
affected 8ed936b5671bfb33d89bc60bdcc7cf0470ba52fe 8189ab688f5a2c745dc90b63374da02f213d6994 git |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
affected 3.18 |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
unaffected 3.18 semver |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
unaffected 6.12.113 6.12.* semver |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
unaffected 6.18.57 6.18.* semver |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
unaffected 7.2.11 7.2.* semver |
Not specified |
| CNA |
Linux |
Linux |
unaffected 7.3 * original_commit_for_fix |
Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/8189ab688f5a2c745dc90b63374da02f213d6994 |
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
git.kernel.org |
|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2b10181d913b4efa3a8dc67a532f859aa5f95e0 |
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
git.kernel.org |
|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/b43ff2deef48260bfbdc0dcb520f7929bd3e4007 |
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
git.kernel.org |
|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f97df8ca7fadf5b53954f50073445ba193902c0 |
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
git.kernel.org |
|
| CVE Program record |
CVE.ORG |
www.cve.org |
canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail |
NVD |
nvd.nist.gov |
canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.