Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ext4: fix potential null deref in ext4_mb_init()
In ext4_mb_init(), ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy() may be called
when sbi->s_mb_avg_fragment_size remains uninitialized (e.g., if groupinfo
slab cache allocation fails). Since ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy()
lacks null pointer checking, this leads to a null pointer dereference.
==================================================================
EXT4-fs: no memory for groupinfo slab cache
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
PGD 0 P4D 0
Oops: Oops: 0002 [#1] SMP PTI
CPU:2 UID: 0 PID: 87 Comm:mount Not tainted 6.17.0-rc2 #1134 PREEMPT(none)
RIP: 0010:_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x1b/0x40
Call Trace:
<TASK>
xa_destroy+0x61/0x130
ext4_mb_init+0x483/0x540
__ext4_fill_super+0x116d/0x17b0
ext4_fill_super+0xd3/0x280
get_tree_bdev_flags+0x132/0x1d0
vfs_get_tree+0x29/0xd0
do_new_mount+0x197/0x300
__x64_sys_mount+0x116/0x150
do_syscall_64+0x50/0x1c0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
==================================================================
Therefore, add necessary null check to ext4_mb_avg_fragment_size_destroy()
to prevent this issue. The same fix is also applied to
ext4_mb_largest_free_orders_destroy().
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.17 | 6.17.3 |
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.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux | 6.17.0-14.14 | USN-8029-1 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-aws +2 | 6.17.0-1007.7 | USN-8030-1, USN-8029-2 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-azure +1 | 6.17.0-1008.8 | USN-8029-3, USN-8029-1 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-azure-fde | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-realtime | 6.17.0-1006.7 | USN-8029-1 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-riscv | 6.17.0-14.14.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.17 +1 | 6.17.0-1007.7~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.17 | 6.17.0-1008.8~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.17 | 6.17.0-1008.8 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oem-6.17 | 6.17.0-1011.11 | USN-8048-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +8 | 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 | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.17 | 6.17.0-1006.7~24.04.1 | — |
Advisories 6
- WID-SEC-2025-2579 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8029-2 linux-aws, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8048-1 linux-oem-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8029-3 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8030-1 linux-gcp vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8029-1 linux, linux-raspi, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026