Host crash via premature transaction completion
Published Aug 22, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
A transaction race in the Linux kernel Btrfs subsystem allows local users to crash systems during filesystem balance operations. btrfs_commit_transaction can report a newer transaction complete while an earlier fsync commit still holds pinned extents, letting relocation remove the corresponding block group too soon. Triggering the kernel BUG requires local access to a Btrfs filesystem and overlapping fsync, transaction-commit, and balance activity; the bounded impact is a host crash.
Summary
What happened
A transaction race in the Linux kernel Btrfs subsystem allows local users to crash systems during filesystem balance operations. btrfs_commit_transaction can report a newer transaction complete while an earlier fsync commit still holds pinned extents, letting relocation remove the corresponding block group too soon. Triggering the kernel BUG requires local access to a Btrfs filesystem and overlapping fsync, transaction-commit, and balance activity; the bounded impact is a host crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-48903
- Published
- Aug 22, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 22, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.12
- Affected versionversion=d0c2f4fa555e70324ec2a129b822ab58f172cc62 <5fd76bf31ccfecc06e2e6b29f8c809e934085b99
- Affected versionversion=d0c2f4fa555e70324ec2a129b822ab58f172cc62 <725a6ac389b182261af174176e561a36b0f39ffc
- Affected versionversion=d0c2f4fa555e70324ec2a129b822ab58f172cc62 <a4378947ae39f08c6ae4c6a87ccdebc981a7bbcb
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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