# CVE-2026-31598: ocfs2: fix possible deadlock between unlink and dio_end_io_write

> A race condition in the Linux kernel OCFS2 filesystem can cause a deadlock between unlink and direct I/O write operations, leading to system denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-31598, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31598, GHSA-cqwh-r98h-2279, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31598, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31598, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31598, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31598, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31598

## What is CVE-2026-31598?

CVE-2026-31598 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ocfs2: fix possible deadlock between unlink and dio_end_io_write

ocfs2_unlink takes orphan dir inode_lock first and then ip_alloc_sem,
while in ocfs2_dio_end_io_write, it acquires these locks in reverse order.
This creates an ABBA lock ordering violation on lock classes
ocfs2_sysfile_lock_key[ORPHAN_DIR_SYSTEM_INODE] and
ocfs2_file_ip_alloc_sem_key.

Lock Chain #0 (orphan dir inode_lock -> ip_alloc_sem):
ocfs2_unlink
  ocfs2_prepare_orphan_dir
    ocfs2_lookup_lock_orphan_dir
      inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode) <- lock A
    __ocfs2_prepare_orphan_dir
      ocfs2_prepare_dir_for_insert
        ocfs2_extend_dir
	  ocfs2_expand_inline_dir
	    down_write(&oi->ip_alloc_sem) <- Lock B

Lock Chain #1 (ip_alloc_sem -> orphan dir inode_lock):
ocfs2_dio_end_io_write
  down_write(&oi->ip_alloc_sem) <- Lock B
  ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan()
    inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode) <- Lock A

Deadlock Scenario:
  CPU0 (unlink)                     CPU1 (dio_end_io_write)
  ------                            ------
  inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode)
                                    down_write(ip_alloc_sem)
  down_write(ip_alloc_sem)
                                    inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode)

Since ip_alloc_sem is to protect allocation changes, which is unrelated
with operations in ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan.  So move
ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan out of ip_alloc_sem to fix the deadlock.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking), CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31598?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31598?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31598 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31598 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-2026-31598 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31598 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31598 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-2026-31598/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31598/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31598
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31598
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31598

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31598/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.