Description
The ext4 implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does not properly track the initialization of certain data structures, which allows physically proximate attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and panic) via a crafted USB device, related to the ext4_fill_super function.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 2.6.37-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 2.6.37-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 2.6.37-1 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | linux-2.6 | 2.6.32-48squeeze17 | DLA-360-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perf +16 | 2.6.32-642.el6 | RHSA-2016:0855 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2016:0855 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
- DLA-360-1 linux-2.6 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- RHSA-2016:0855 vendor-advisory
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinapr2016-2952096.html
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1267261
- http://mirror.linux.org.au/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.34
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/744692dc059845b2a3022119871846e74d4f6e11
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=744692dc059845b2a3022119871846e74d4f6e11
- [oss-security] 20151123 CVE request -- linux kernel: Null pointer dereference when mounting ext4 filesystem mailing-list