Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ntfs: skip extent mft records in writeback to prevent deadlock
This patch fixes the ABBA deadlock between extent_lock and extent
mrec_lock triggered by xfstests generic/113, that occurs since the commit
6994acf33bae ("ntfs: use base mft_no when looking up base inode for
extent record").
Path A (inode writeback):
VFS writeback
-> ntfs_write_inode()
-> __ntfs_write_inode()
-> mutex_lock(&ni->extent_lock)
-> mutex_lock(&tni->mrec_lock)
Path B (MFT folio writeback):
VFS writeback of $MFT dirty folios
-> ntfs_mft_writepages()
-> ntfs_write_mft_block()
-> ntfs_may_write_mft_record()
-> holds one extent mrec_lock from a previous iteration
-> tries to acquire another base inode extent_lock
By removing all extent_lock and extent mrec_lock acquisition from the MFT
folio writeback path, the ABBA lock ordering is eliminated:
Path A: __ntfs_write_inode(): extent_lock -> mrec_lock
Path B (removed): ntfs_write_mft_block(): mrec_lock -> extent_lock
Path B is always redundant for extent records because:
1. mark_mft_record_dirty(ext_ni) does NOT dirty the MFT folio.
It only sets NInoDirty(ext_ni) and marks the base VFS inode dirty
via __mark_inode_dirty(I_DIRTY_DATASYNC), which triggers Path A.
Therefore, normal extent modifications never create a situation where
the MFT folio is dirty and Path B is not scheduled.
2. The MFT folio only gets dirtied via ntfs_mft_mark_dirty() inside
ntfs_mft_record_alloc(). But all identified callers in attrib.c
(ntfs_attr_add, ntfs_attr_record_move_away,
ntfs_attr_make_non_resident, ntfs_attr_record_resize) follow through
with mark_mft_record_dirty(), which triggers Path A to write the
complete record.
3. ntfs_evict_big_inode() calls ntfs_commit_inode() before freeing extent
inodes, ensuring all dirty extents are flushed via Path A before the
base inode leaves the icache.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.12, 7.1 | 6.1.191 |
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 | 7.1.5-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 24.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux +52 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +59 | No fix yet | — |
Show 18 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime +2 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-preview 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux +21 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux +12 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux +7 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | linux +3 | No fix yet | — |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | kernel | 6.6.161.1-1 | — |
Advisories 1
- WID-SEC-2026-2852 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b06b4fc2138ded8ee0b3dc602991ff6dbb10dd0a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6626fb859f4c4772f2f59751d23937716e03f98f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ffa8f3d30236e0ab897c30bdb01224ff1fe1c89
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f831ab09d521898bf1dd99bf5adfd630ea1428e3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76bc14c7097ff678b2b5dbfd4fa33b46897d87ce