CVE-2025-68803 NFSD: NFSv4 file creation neglects setting ACL
NFSv4 file creation ignores requested ACLs, allowing clients to bypass intended access controls by receiving default permissions instead.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-68803?
CVE-2025-68803 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
NFSD: NFSv4 file creation neglects setting ACL
An NFSv4 client that sets an ACL with a named principal during file creation retrieves the ACL afterwards, and finds that it is only a default ACL (based on the mode bits) and not the ACL that was requested during file creation. This violates RFC 8881 section 6.4.1.3: "the ACL attribute is set as given".
The issue occurs in nfsd_create_setattr(), which calls nfsd_attrs_valid() to determine whether to call nfsd_setattr(). However, nfsd_attrs_valid() checks only for iattr changes and security labels, but not POSIX ACLs. When only an ACL is present, the function returns false, nfsd_setattr() is skipped, and the POSIX ACL is never applied to the inode.
Subsequently, when the client retrieves the ACL, the server finds no POSIX ACL on the inode and returns one generated from the file's mode bits rather than returning the originally-specified ACL.
Weakness: CWE-863
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68803?
How do I fix CVE-2025-68803?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.
Is CVE-2025-68803 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68803 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-74297, BELL-CVE-2025-68803, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68803, GHSA-69qx-3mcm-9wpc, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-68803, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68803 and 4 more.