# CVE-2026-53017: f2fs: fix data loss caused by incorrect use of nat_entry flag

> A race condition in the Linux kernel f2fs filesystem can cause data loss when fsyncing a new file concurrently with a checkpoint operation.

- **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:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53017, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53017, GHSA-f2m7-5m7m-7g2c, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-53017, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-53017, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-53017, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-53017, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-53017, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53017

## What is CVE-2026-53017?

CVE-2026-53017 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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:

f2fs: fix data loss caused by incorrect use of nat_entry flag

Data loss can occur when fsync is performed on a newly created file
(before any checkpoint has been written) concurrently with a checkpoint
operation. The scenario is as follows:

create & write & fsync 'file A'                 write checkpoint
- f2fs_do_sync_file // inline inode
 - f2fs_write_inode // inode folio is dirty
                                                - f2fs_write_checkpoint
                                                 - f2fs_flush_merged_writes
                                                 - f2fs_sync_node_pages
                                                 - f2fs_flush_nat_entries
 - f2fs_fsync_node_pages // no dirty node
 - f2fs_need_inode_block_update // return false
 SPO and lost 'file A'

f2fs_flush_nat_entries() sets the IS_CHECKPOINTED and HAS_LAST_FSYNC
flags for the nat_entry, but this does not mean that the checkpoint has
actually completed successfully. However, f2fs_need_inode_block_update()
checks these flags and incorrectly assumes that the checkpoint has
finished.

The root cause is that the semantics of IS_CHECKPOINTED and
HAS_LAST_FSYNC are only guaranteed after the checkpoint write fully
completes.

This patch modifies f2fs_need_inode_block_update() to acquire the
sbi->node_write lock before reading the nat_entry flags, ensuring that
once IS_CHECKPOINTED and HAS_LAST_FSYNC are observed to be set, the
checkpoint operation has already completed.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53017?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53017?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53017 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53017 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-2026-53017 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53017 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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-2026-53017 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-2026-53017/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53017/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53017
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53017
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53017

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53017/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.