CVE-2025-71123: Linux kernel · ext4: fix string copying in parse_apply_sb_mount_options()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in 6.8.0-1052.55~22.04.1 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 6.8.0-1052.55~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1059.65~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1054.57~22.04.1 +39
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Patches and advisories
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8183-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8184-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8185-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8183-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8203-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8204-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8185-2 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 25.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-raspipkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-raspi?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix string copying in parse_apply_sb_mount_options() strscpy_pad() can't be used to copy a non-NUL-term string into a NUL-term string of possibly bigger size. Commit 0efc5990bca5 ("string.h: Introduce memtostr() and memtostr_pad()") provides additional information in that regard. So if this happens, the following warning is observed: strnlen: detected buffer overflow: 65 byte read of buffer size 64 WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 28655 at lib/string_helpers.c:1032 __fortify_report+0x96/0xc0 lib/string_helpers.c:1032 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 28655 Comm: syz-executor.3 Not tainted 6.12.54-syzkaller-00144-g5f0270f1ba00 #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:__fortify_report+0x96/0xc0 lib/string_helpers.c:1032 Call Trace: <TASK> __fortify_panic+0x1f/0x30 lib/string_helpers.c:1039 strnlen include/linux/fortify-string.h:235 [inline] sized_strscpy include/linux/fortify-string.h:309 [inline] parse_apply_sb_mount_options fs/ext4/super.c:2504 [inline] __ext4_fill_super fs/ext4/super.c:5261 [inline] ext4_fill_super+0x3c35/0xad00 fs/ext4/super.c:5706 get_tree_bdev_flags+0x387/0x620 fs/super.c:1636 vfs_get_tree+0x93/0x380 fs/super.c:1814 do_new_mount fs/namespace.c:3553 [inline] path_mount+0x6ae/0x1f70 fs/namespace.c:3880 do_mount fs/namespace.c:3893 [inline] __do_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:4103 [inline] __se_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:4080 [inline] __x64_sys_mount+0x280/0x300 fs/namespace.c:4080 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x64/0x140 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e Since userspace is expected to provide s_mount_opts field to be at most 63 characters long with the ending byte being NUL-term, use a 64-byte buffer which matches the size of s_mount_opts, so that strscpy_pad() does its job properly. Return with error if the user still managed to provide a non-NUL-term string here. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-71123 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71123 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5bbacbbf1ca4419861dca3c6b82707c10e9c021c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e37143560e37869d51b7d9e0ac61fc48895f8a0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/902ca2356f1e3ec5355c5808ad5d3f9d0095b0cc (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/db9ee13fab0267eccf6544ee35b16c9522db9aac (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee5a977b4e771cc181f39d504426dbd31ed701cc (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8183-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8184-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8185-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8183-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8203-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8204-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8185-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-4 (opens in a new tab)