# CVE-2026-43168: ocfs2: fix reflink preserve cleanup issue

> A bug in the Linux kernel's OCFS2 filesystem cleanup logic can lead to memory corruption, potentially allowing local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 May 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-43168, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43168, GHSA-m75h-8jqh-gvwj, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-43168, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-43168, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43168, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43168

## What is CVE-2026-43168?

CVE-2026-43168 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 6 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

ocfs2: fix reflink preserve cleanup issue

commit c06c303832ec ("ocfs2: fix xattr array entry __counted_by error")
doesn't handle all cases and the cleanup job for preserved xattr entries
still has bug:
- the 'last' pointer should be shifted by one unit after cleanup
  an array entry.
- current code logic doesn't cleanup the first entry when xh_count is 1.

Note, commit c06c303832ec is also a bug fix for 0fe9b66c65f3.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43168?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43168?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43168 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43168 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-2026-43168 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43168 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 6 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43168 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-2026-43168/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43168/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43168
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43168
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43168

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43168/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.