Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ext4: don't allow journal inode to have encrypt flag
Mounting a filesystem whose journal inode has the encrypt flag causes a
NULL dereference in fscrypt_limit_io_blocks() when the 'inlinecrypt'
mount option is used.
The problem is that when jbd2_journal_init_inode() calls bmap(), it
eventually finds its way into ext4_iomap_begin(), which calls
fscrypt_limit_io_blocks(). fscrypt_limit_io_blocks() requires that if
the inode is encrypted, then its encryption key must already be set up.
That's not the case here, since the journal inode is never "opened" like
a normal file would be. Hence the crash.
A reproducer is:
mkfs.ext4 -F /dev/vdb
debugfs -w /dev/vdb -R "set_inode_field <8> flags 0x80808"
mount /dev/vdb /mnt -o inlinecrypt
To fix this, make ext4 consider journal inodes with the encrypt flag to
be invalid. (Note, maybe other flags should be rejected on the journal
inode too. For now, this is just the minimal fix for the above issue.)
I've marked this as fixing the commit that introduced the call to
fscrypt_limit_io_blocks(), since that's what made an actual crash start
being possible. But this fix could be applied to any version of ext4
that supports the encrypt feature.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.18 | 6.0.18 |
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 | 6.1.4-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.1.4-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.1.4-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-intel +9 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9 | bpftool | 7.3.0-427.13.1.el9_4 | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| RHEL 9 | rv +64 | 5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 | RHSA-2024:2394 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP5 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
Show 11 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 15 SP5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP5 | kernel-docs +4 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | kernel-docs +4 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150500.13.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:3761-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-source +1 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:3716-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:3716-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5_Update_31 | 1-150500.11.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_45 | 1-150400.9.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP5 | kernel-64kb +5 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | kernel-64kb +5 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-syms +3 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-syms +2 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 |
Advisories 6
- WID-SEC-2025-2053 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 9, 2026
- RHSA-2024:2394 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 17, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:03615-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:3761-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:03628-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:3716-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026