# CVE-2011-4077: Memory corruption in n/a

> Local attackers can cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code via a crafted XFS image with a long symbolic link.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Jan 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wr72-x72c-p32w

## What is CVE-2011-4077?

CVE-2011-4077 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Jan 2012. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Buffer overflow in the xfs_readlink function in fs/xfs/xfs_vnodeops.c in XFS in the Linux kernel 2.6, when CONFIG_XFS_DEBUG is disabled, allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via an XFS image containing a symbolic link with a long pathname.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-4077?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-4077?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2011-4077 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4077 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-4077 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-4077 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Jan 2012. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4077 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4077/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4077/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-4077
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4077
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-4077

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4077/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.