CVE-2026-72159: Linux kernel · ocfs2: reject non-inline dinodes with i_size and zero i_clusters
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 17:19 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
Thin evidence
One scorer or none- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Limited control over the software or limited information exposure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4, d837068eefbc2651fe5789bf75a0f945710f7b8e, 2174c68f623b74bd8690a4a6a4a52882d8ac3dc3 +5
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 6 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ocfs2: reject non-inline dinodes with i_size and zero i_clusters On a volume mounted without OCFS2_FEATURE_INCOMPAT_SPARSE_ALLOC, a non-inline regular file with non-zero i_size and zero i_clusters is structurally malformed: the extent map declares no allocated clusters yet the size header claims content exists. Keep rejecting that shape, but express it through a shared predicate so the same invariant is available to normal inode reads and online filecheck. The same zero-cluster shape is also malformed for non-inline directories. ocfs2 directory growth allocates backing storage before advancing i_size, and ocfs2_dir_foreach_blk_el() later walks until ctx->pos reaches i_size_read(inode). A forged directory dinode with a huge i_size and no clusters would repeatedly fail on holes while advancing through the claimed size. Sparse regular files remain exempt: on sparse-alloc volumes, truncate can legitimately grow i_size without allocating clusters. System inodes and inline-data dinodes also retain their separate storage rules. Mirror the check in ocfs2_filecheck_validate_inode_block() as well. filecheck reports through its own error namespace, so malformed size/cluster state is logged as a filecheck invalid-inode result rather than via ocfs2_error(), but it must not proceed into ocfs2_populate_inode().
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/416d3e5f8a30ed04fe21ba7dc73c2841c3b56265 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/83f6756a7b71adec0a41ae68e079a38906d59c6c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/38c1ef7ce50eb4af0f89038b8aba12396ddb9233 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d837068eefbc2651fe5789bf75a0f945710f7b8e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2174c68f623b74bd8690a4a6a4a52882d8ac3dc3 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3bfeb436d4be6a2beb56cab344770e93e6b07260 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ebc672fab7a76e1e47e0f2fc1ee48118d27fde4 (opens in a new tab)