VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 9 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-74362: Linux kernel · ext2: fix ignored return value of generic_write_sync()

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1017.17~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1 +11

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-v9mc-99cx-c56m

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-38.38	Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1014.14	Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1017.17	Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1016.16	Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.16
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1014.14	Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gke`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1008.9	Fixed in 7.0.0-1008.9

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A patch is available that corrects the error propagation in ext2_dio_write_iter(). Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include this fix. No additional mitigation steps are required beyond applying the vendor-provided patches.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ext2 filesystem code caused the return value of generic_write_sync() to be ignored in ext2_dio_write_iter(), potentially leading to write(2) system calls returning success even when synchronous writes failed. This issue was fixed by ensuring the error from generic_write_sync() is properly propagated. The flaw affected multiple Linux kernel versions and has been patched.

Impact

Userspace applications relying on write(2) with O_SYNC or O_DSYNC flags could receive false success indications even when the underlying write synchronization failed. This could lead to data integrity issues where applications believe data is safely written to disk when it is not. There is no indication of remote exploitation or privilege escalation from this flaw alone.

Summary

The Linux kernel ext2 filesystem had a defect where ext2_dio_write_iter() did not propagate the error returned by generic_write_sync(), causing write(2) calls on O_SYNC/O_DSYNC files to incorrectly report success despite synchronization failures. The fix involved updating ext2_dio_write_iter() to handle the return value of generic_write_sync() correctly, aligning with the pattern used in ext2_dax_write_iter() and other filesystems like ext4, xfs, and f2fs. This vulnerability was identified by the Linux Verification Center using SVACE and affects specific Linux kernel versions.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 09:17 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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