# CVE-2026-53391: NFSv4/pNFS: reject zero-length r_addr in nfs4_decode_mp_ds_addr

> A malicious NFS metadata server can cause a kernel crash in Linux NFS clients by sending a zero-length address in a GETDEVICEINFO response.

- **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:** 19 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53391, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53391, GHSA-72jx-g4pr-67hm, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-53391, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-53391, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53391

## What is CVE-2026-53391?

CVE-2026-53391 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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:

NFSv4/pNFS: reject zero-length r_addr in nfs4_decode_mp_ds_addr

nfs4_decode_mp_ds_addr() decodes the r_netid and r_addr opaques of a
netaddr4 from a GETDEVICEINFO multipath-DS body, then immediately
calls strrchr(buf, '.') to locate the port separator. Both decodes
use xdr_stream_decode_string_dup(), and the current code checks only
"nlen < 0" / "rlen < 0" before dereferencing the returned string.

When the on-wire opaque has length zero, xdr_stream_decode_opaque_inline()
returns 0 and xdr_stream_decode_string_dup() falls through to its
"*str = NULL; return ret" tail, leaving buf NULL with a return value
of 0. The "< 0" check does not catch this, and the next line is
strrchr(NULL, '.'), a kernel NULL pointer dereference reachable from
any pNFS-flexfile client mounted against a malicious or compromised
metadata server.

Reject the zero-length cases explicitly so the decoder fails with
-EBADMSG (treated as a malformed GETDEVICEINFO body) instead of
panicking the client.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53391?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53391?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53391 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53391 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-2026-53391 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53391 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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-2026-53391 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-2026-53391/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53391/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53391
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53391
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53391

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53391/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.