Skip to content
OpenAdvisories
High · 8.8 CVE-2026-99170 EUVD-2026-111922GHSA-fv9w-c66r-mfvr

namespace: a mount that copy_tree() leaves out can't take over a lock

Published Oct 28, 2026 · Updated Oct 31, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.14 Package: linux-aws-6.17 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-6.5 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.11 Package: linux-azure-6.14 Package: linux-azure-6.17 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-6.5 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.14 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.17 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-nvidia-6.14 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.11 Package: linux-gcp-6.14 Package: linux-gcp-6.17 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-6.5 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.15 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-hwe-6.14 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-nvidia-6.11 Package: linux-nvidia-6.17 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.5 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oem-6.11 Package: linux-oem-6.14 Package: linux-oem-6.5 Package: linux-oem-6.8 Package: linux-oracle Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-oracle-6.14 Package: linux-oracle-6.17 Package: linux-oracle-6.5 Package: linux-raspi Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-realtime-6.14 Package: linux-realtime-6.17 Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-riscv-6.14 Package: linux-riscv-6.17 Package: linux-riscv-6.5 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-starfive-6.5 Package: linux-vmware Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

namespace: a mount that copy_tree() leaves out can't take over a lock

Since commit c62a4766937e ("move_mount: transfer MNT_LOCKED") a mount
can be moved beneath a locked mount. The lock moves from the old cover
to the new mount which takes over the job of hiding what's under it and
the old cover can be unmounted. That works as long as the new mount
stays. But the caller picks the new mount and copy_tree() leaves a
mount of a mount namespace file out of every copy made without
CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE, together with everything mounted on it, and never
looks at MNT_LOCKED. unshare(CLONE_NEWNS) and mount propagation make
such copies.

So a task that is root in its own user namespace gets rid of a locked
cover on a file without a race and without touching the filesystem
below it. It makes a child with a mount namespace of its own, binds the
child's /proc/<pid>/ns/mnt beneath the cover with MOVE_MOUNT_BENEATH,
which hands the lock to that bind, and calls unshare(CLONE_NEWNS). The
new mount namespace has nothing on the file. That's the usual way to
mask a single file, a bind of /dev/null or of an empty file. With a
bind of an ordinary file the file stays covered.

copy_tree() already refuses to leave out a locked unbindable mount with
-EPERM since commit df7342b24018 ("mount: Don't allow copying
MNT_UNBINDABLE|MNT_LOCKED mounts"). Do the same for a locked mount of a
mount namespace file. That also covers a tree copied with
CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE and attached into a mount namespace of another user
namespace where lock_mnt_tree() locks it. Note that unshare(CLONE_NEWNS)
and clone(CLONE_NEWNS) fail with EPERM from such a mount namespace from
then on. The mount can't be left out and it can't be unmounted.

And refuse to move a mount of a mount namespace file beneath a locked
mount in the first place. Otherwise the task ends up with a mount it
can't unmount and an unshare() that fails for good.

Chris also found a second mount that goes away by itself, a clone of an
automounted mount that shrink_submounts() took along with its parent.
Commit f78ddcc87224 ("namespace: never expire a locked mount") took
care of that one.

Chris's reproducer is appended. Mode nsfile reads SECRET after the
unshare() on 7.3-rc7, with this patch the move_mount() fails with
EINVAL and the file stays covered. nsfile-control uses an ordinary file
and reads MASK both ways.

// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
/*
* Get rid of a locked cover with MOVE_MOUNT_BENEATH.
*
* The "admin" (root) makes a tmpfs W:
* W/D file, holds SECRET, covered by a bind of a file with MASK
* W/Dd/inner file, holds SECRET, Dd is covered by a bind of a directory
* whose "inner" holds MASK
* W/own directory of uid 1000 with the file "mine" and the
* directory "minedir", whose "inner" holds MINE
* W/dbg debugfs, mode 755. dbg/tracing is an automount point
* The "attacker" is uid 1000. It enters a new user namespace with a new mount
* namespace, so W and both covers are locked there.
*
* usage: prog MODE
* plain put a bind of own/mine beneath the cover of D, unmount the cover
* nsfile put a bind of the mount namespace file of a child beneath the
* cover of D, then unshare(CLONE_NEWNS)
* nsfile-control the same with a bind of own/mine
* shrink put a bind of the automounted tracefs beneath the cover of Dd,
* unmount the cover, put a tmpfs beneath W, call umount(W), which fails
* shrink-control the same with a bind of own/minedir
* The environment variable AUTOMOUNT_DIR names another automount point for "shrink".
*/
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include <errno.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <grp.h>
#include <sched.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <unistd.h>

---truncated---

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 7.1 7.2.13

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.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 7.2.13-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 26.10 linux 7.3.0-10.10 —
Ubuntu 26.10 linux-aws +4 7.3.0-1004.4 —
Ubuntu 26.10 linux-azure-fde 7.3.0-1004.5 —
Ubuntu 26.10 linux-riscv +1 7.3.0-10.10.1 —
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-riscv +25 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)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS linux-realtime-6.14 +1 No fix yet —

Advisories 1

References