In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
nilfs2: fix potential bug in end_buffer_async_write
According to a syzbot report, end_buffer_async_write(), which handles the completion of block device writes, may detect abnormal condition of the buffer async_write flag and cause a BUG_ON failure when using nilfs2.
Nilfs2 itself does not use end_buffer_async_write(). But, the async_write flag is now used as a marker by commit 7f42ec394156 ("nilfs2: fix issue with race condition of competition between segments for dirty blocks") as a means of resolving double list insertion of dirty blocks in nilfs_lookup_dirty_data_buffers() and nilfs_lookup_node_buffers() and the resulting crash.
This modification is safe as long as it is used for file data and b-tree node blocks where the page caches are independent. However, it was irrelevant and redundant to also introduce async_write for segment summary and super root blocks that share buffers with the backing device. This led to the possibility that the BUG_ON check in end_buffer_async_write would fail as described above, if independent writebacks of the backing device occurred in parallel.
The use of async_write for segment summary buffers has already been removed in a previous change.
Fix this issue by removing the manipulation of the async_write flag for the remaining super root block buffer.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.8-rc1 | 6.8-rc1.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.7 | 6.7.6 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.2 | 6.6.18 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.16 | 6.1.79 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.11 | 5.15.149 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.5 | 5.10.210 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.8-rc2 | 6.8-rc2.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.8-rc3 | 6.8-rc3.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 4.20 | 5.4.269 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 3.2.52 | 3.3 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 3.4.83 | 3.5 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 3.10.16 | 3.11 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 3.11.5 | 4.19.307 |
| debian / debian_linux | 10.0 | 10.0.x |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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