Persistent filesystem inconsistency via missing transaction abort
Published Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 6, 2026
A filesystem integrity flaw in Linux allows local users to leave Btrfs metadata inconsistent via hole punching or reflinking. In btrfs_replace_file_extents, an inode-update failure exits without aborting a transaction after file extents have been removed or replaced. The persistent inconsistency requires a writable Btrfs filesystem, an inode-update failure, and subsequent transaction commit; the record does not establish a reliable way to induce that failure.
Summary
What happened
A filesystem integrity flaw in Linux allows local users to leave Btrfs metadata inconsistent via hole punching or reflinking. In btrfs_replace_file_extents, an inode-update failure exits without aborting a transaction after file extents have been removed or replaced. The persistent inconsistency requires a writable Btrfs filesystem, an inode-update failure, and subsequent transaction commit; the record does not establish a reliable way to induce that failure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98269
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 6, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 6, 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=2aaa66558172b017f36bf38ae69372813dedee9d <2605eb9ba3bbd4c9f455cfe6b85bd28a1da7067d
- Affected versionversion=2aaa66558172b017f36bf38ae69372813dedee9d <36c68dc909845c049e0286d229bc502947239452
- Affected versionversion=2aaa66558172b017f36bf38ae69372813dedee9d <834a3b5c5f1ec0df48c1a6208f9989f4ffdaa0b6
- Affected versionversion=2aaa66558172b017f36bf38ae69372813dedee9d <9588850bfa75c78ce73c2f6f72544d19d2e9beb6
- Affected versionversion=2aaa66558172b017f36bf38ae69372813dedee9d <97fcd34aa9fd73cefe3120ac9a82ca9d7763922f
- Affected versionversion=3.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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