CVE-2026-45984 | gfs2: Fix use-after-free in iomap inline data write path

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gfs2: Fix use-after-free in iomap inline data write path The inline data buffer head (dibh) is being released prematurely in gfs2_iomap_begin() via release_metapath() while iomap->inline_data still points to dibh->b_data. This causes a use-after-free when iomap_write_end_inline() later attempts to write to the inline data area. The bug sequence: 1. gfs2_iomap_begin() calls gfs2_meta_inode_buffer() to read inode metadata into dibh 2. Sets iomap->inline_data = dibh->b_data + sizeof(struct gfs2_dinode) 3. Calls release_metapath() which calls brelse(dibh), dropping refcount to 0 4. kswapd reclaims the page (~39ms later in the syzbot report) 5. iomap_write_end_inline() tries to memcpy() to iomap->inline_data 6. KASAN detects use-after-free write to freed memory Fix by storing dibh in iomap->private and incrementing its refcount with get_bh() in gfs2_iomap_begin(). The buffer is then properly released in gfs2_iomap_end() after the inline write completes, ensuring the page stays alive for the entire iomap operation. Note: A C reproducer is not available for this issue. The fix is based on analysis of the KASAN report and code review showing the buffer head is freed before use. [agruenba: Take buffer head reference in gfs2_iomap_begin() to avoid leaks in gfs2_iomap_get() and gfs2_iomap_alloc().]

Published: 2026-05-27 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-45984 is rated Low Risk (32.2/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.12%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-45984

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.12% +0.10%
2 2026-05-28 0.02%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-45984

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.9 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-45984

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-45984

GHSA-c7gf-37rm-rpg6 · Severity: high — In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gfs2: Fix use-after-free in...

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-45984

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-45984 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-45984
redhat high https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45984
suse high CVE-2026-45984 severity important: SUSE including 14 source package names (cluster-md-kmp-default, dlm-kmp-default, …), 39 product×package rows across 8 product lines (SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5, SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0, … (8 product lines)): Known Not Affected 39. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45984/
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-45984 medium priority: Ubuntu including 158 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1422 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1024, ignored 169, needed 93, released 84, not-affected 33, pending 18, needs-triage 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-45984

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-45984

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 5.2, < 5.10.252 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.202 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.165 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.128 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.75 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.18.14 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.19, < 6.19.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-45984

cvelogic Threat Intelligence