Local system crash via unchecked inline-data state
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Denial of service in Linux kernel ext4 allows local users to crash the system through journaled inline-data writes. With data=journal enabled, ext4_journalled_write_end() calls ext4_write_inline_data_end() after a failed inline-to-extent conversion has cleared EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA, so the unprepared xattr write reaches a BUG_ON. The trigger requires local write access, journaled-data mode, inline data, and a prior conversion failure such as ENOSPC; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash and service interruption.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in Linux kernel ext4 allows local users to crash the system through journaled inline-data writes. With data=journal enabled, ext4_journalled_write_end() calls ext4_write_inline_data_end() after a failed inline-to-extent conversion has cleared EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA, so the unprepared xattr write reaches a BUG_ON. The trigger requires local write access, journaled-data mode, inline data, and a prior conversion failure such as ENOSPC; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash and service interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74308
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-805, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
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- Affected versionversion=3.8
- Affected versionversion=3fdcfb668fd78ec92d9bc2daddf1d41e2a8a30bb <0ae42b51607240990614e0843f0d3529aaff62cc
- Affected versionversion=3fdcfb668fd78ec92d9bc2daddf1d41e2a8a30bb <260830a9a706f5d335398236fc788ce32f220de1
- Affected versionversion=3fdcfb668fd78ec92d9bc2daddf1d41e2a8a30bb <9808ae9fae996afa942bd963a39c9b1cdeebd0bd
- Affected versionversion=3fdcfb668fd78ec92d9bc2daddf1d41e2a8a30bb <ad09aa45965d3fafaf9963bc78109b73c0f9ac8d
- Affected versionversion=3fdcfb668fd78ec92d9bc2daddf1d41e2a8a30bb <f00f5c0dd55319bc33b76f72c853bda0e0a32eda
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