CVE-2026-71222: Out-of-bounds Read in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

This vulnerability in gfs2-utils arises from consuming the ea_num_ptrs field from on-disk extended attribute metadata without proper bounds checking, causing a heap buffer over-read. The flaw can lead to disclosure of sensitive heap memory contents or a denial of service via application crash when processing specially crafted GFS2 filesystem images. Exploitation requires local user privileges and interaction, specifically an administrator running gfs2-utils tools on a malicious image. The kernel GFS2 driver is not affected. The vulnerability is assessed as moderate impact because it is a read-only memory access that cannot corrupt memory but may leak sensitive information or cause a crash if the read crosses a page boundary. No official fix or patch is currently confirmed. The vendor recommends avoiding processing untrusted GFS2 images with gfs2-utils or running these tools in isolated environments such as containers or VMs.

The vulnerability can lead to disclosure of sensitive heap memory contents, potentially leaking cryptographic keys, PII, or memory addresses that could aid further attacks. It can also cause denial of service by crashing the application processing the crafted filesystem image. The impact is limited to local users with the ability to run gfs2-utils tools and requires user interaction. There is no impact on kernel-level components or integrity of the system. The overall impact is rated medium.

No official patch or fix is currently confirmed for this vulnerability. The vendor advises not to process untrusted GFS2 filesystem images with gfs2-utils tools. When processing untrusted images is necessary, run gfs2-utils tools in containerized or VM-isolated environments to limit potential impact. Monitor the vendor advisory for updates on patch availability and apply fixes promptly once released.