# CVE-2026-43474: fs: init flags_valid before calling vfs_fileattr_get

> A local attacker can read uninitialized kernel memory via the file_getattr syscall due to missing initialization of flags_valid.

- **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:** 8 May 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-86112, BELL-CVE-2026-43474, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43474, GHSA-5h27-3wgq-g9cf, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-43474, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43474, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43474

## What is CVE-2026-43474?

CVE-2026-43474 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 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:

fs: init flags_valid before calling vfs_fileattr_get

syzbot reported a uninit-value bug in [1].

Similar to the "*get" context where the kernel's internal file_kattr
structure is initialized before calling vfs_fileattr_get(), we should
use the same mechanism when using fa.

[1]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in fuse_fileattr_get+0xeb4/0x1450 fs/fuse/ioctl.c:517
 fuse_fileattr_get+0xeb4/0x1450 fs/fuse/ioctl.c:517
 vfs_fileattr_get fs/file_attr.c:94 [inline]
 __do_sys_file_getattr fs/file_attr.c:416 [inline]

Local variable fa.i created at:
 __do_sys_file_getattr fs/file_attr.c:380 [inline]
 __se_sys_file_getattr+0x8c/0xbd0 fs/file_attr.c:372

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43474?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43474?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43474 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43474 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-2026-43474 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43474 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 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-2026-43474 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-2026-43474/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43474/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43474
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43474
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43474

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43474/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.