CVE-2026-74596

Protected-file truncation via conditional fs-verity guard

Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 22, 2026

Improper file truncation in the Linux kernel 7.0 through 7.1.8 allows local users to truncate fs-verity-protected files. In fs/attr.c, setattr_prepare() conditionally invokes the fs-verity attribute guard only when the running kernel has fs-verity support, so on-disk verity inodes bypass truncation rejection when that support is disabled. The user must have local permission to truncate a protected file on a filesystem carrying preexisting fs-verity metadata; successful exploitation shortens the file and destroys protected content.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper file truncation in the Linux kernel 7.0 through 7.1.8 allows local users to truncate fs-verity-protected files. In fs/attr.c, setattr_prepare() conditionally invokes the fs-verity attribute guard only when the running kernel has fs-verity support, so on-disk verity inodes bypass truncation rejection when that support is disabled. The user must have local permission to truncate a protected file on a filesystem carrying preexisting fs-verity metadata; successful exploitation shortens the file and destroys protected content.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-74596
Published
Aug 22, 2026
Updated
Aug 22, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-253, T1485
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 22, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=7.0
  2. Affected versionversion=e9734653c523c744f03333ece6ae7a315187f05c <2d2b2ed7bdcc6df4942292318c5455b5e94ba525
  3. Affected versionversion=e9734653c523c744f03333ece6ae7a315187f05c <d2f96bcb89d36d488a10e3bcf819b98536968286

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=7.0; version=e9734653c523c744f03333ece6ae7a315187f05c <2d2b2ed7bdcc6df4942292318c5455b5e94ba525; version=e9734653c523c744f03333ece6ae7a315187f05c <d2f96bcb89d36d488a10e3bcf819b98536968286

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-253Incorrect Check of Function Return Value
T1485Data Destruction

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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