# 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.

- **Severity:** High 8.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **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, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-68803, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-68803, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68803, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68803

## 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 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68803?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68803?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68803 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68803 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68803 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68803 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2025-68803/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68803/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68803
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68803
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68803

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68803/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.