NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2026-46094: ext4: fix bounds check in check_xattrs() to prevent out-of-bounds access

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 28/100)

The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.12% (FIRST EPSS).
Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
Fixed version: Linux Linux 520986722dbf869c122252123fc161c7302eab7d, 537e065977022aa22f2c2503e8accaf16622e0fd, 5a5314d2387633a272a04d1bd8727f99058e4e68; azl3 kernel 6.6.139.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.141.1-1.
Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 520986722dbf869c122252123fc161c7302eab7d, 537e065977022aa22f2c2503e8accaf16622e0fd, 5a5314d2387633a272a04d1bd8727f99058e4e68; azl3 kernel 6.6.139.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.141.1-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix bounds check in check_xattrs() to prevent out-of-bounds access The bounds check for the next xattr entry in check_xattrs() uses (void *)next >= end, which allows next to point within sizeof(u32) bytes of end. On the next loop iteration, IS_LAST_ENTRY() reads 4 bytes via *(__u32 *)(entry), which can overrun the valid xattr region. For example, if next lands at end - 1, the check passes since next < end, but IS_LAST_ENTRY() reads 4 bytes starting at end - 1, accessing 3 bytes beyond the valid region. Fix this by changing the check to (void *)next + sizeof(u32) > end, ensuring there is always enough space for the IS_LAST_ENTRY() read on the subsequent iteration.

HighCVSS 7.1 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Memory safety

Published: May 27, 2026
Updated: Nov 6, 2026
EPSS: 0.1% · 2th percentile
CWE: CWE-125

Report tools

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Action score

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS: 28 / 40 · 7.1 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation: none
Automatable: no
Technical impact: partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

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No public exploit code on record
A fix has been released

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
linux	linux kernel	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

linux linux kernel6.3 and later · before 6.6.140
linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.86
linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.18.27
linux linux kernel6.19 and later · before 7.0.4

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

Linux Linux
- 6.3affected
- 3478c83cf26bbffd026ae6a56bcb1fe544f0834e and later · before ab6da97bc310db35d4e4ef5354bc3ff626b0698caffected · git
- 3478c83cf26bbffd026ae6a56bcb1fe544f0834e and later · before 5a5314d2387633a272a04d1bd8727f99058e4e68affected · git
- 3478c83cf26bbffd026ae6a56bcb1fe544f0834e and later · before 537e065977022aa22f2c2503e8accaf16622e0fdaffected · git
- 3478c83cf26bbffd026ae6a56bcb1fe544f0834e and later · before 520986722dbf869c122252123fc161c7302eab7daffected · git
- 3478c83cf26bbffd026ae6a56bcb1fe544f0834e and later · before eceafc31ea7b42c984ece10d79d505c0bb6615d5affected · git
- before 6.3not affected · semver
- 6.6.140 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
- 6.12.86 and later · up to and including 6.12.*not affected · semver
- 6.18.27 and later · up to and including 6.18.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

Ecosystem	Package	Affected range	Fix
Debian:13	linux	before 6.12.86-1	6.12.86-1
Debian:14	linux	before 7.0.4-1	7.0.4-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
90Now
CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
89Now
CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2026-46091May 27, 2026 · media: rc: igorplugusb: heed coherency rules
22Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2026-46092May 27, 2026 · wifi: rtw88: check for PCI upstream bridge existence
22Monitor
Later →CVE-2026-46095May 27, 2026 · md/md-llbitmap: raise barrier before state machine transition
22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / package	Fixed version	Source
Linux Linux	520986722dbf869c122252123fc161c7302eab7d	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	537e065977022aa22f2c2503e8accaf16622e0fd	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	5a5314d2387633a272a04d1bd8727f99058e4e68	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	ab6da97bc310db35d4e4ef5354bc3ff626b0698c	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	eceafc31ea7b42c984ece10d79d505c0bb6615d5	Vendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.139.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0	6.6.141.1-1 · CBL-Mariner Releases	Microsoft (MSRC)
debian:linux	6.12.86-1 · Debian:13	Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).