CVE-2026-74350 ocfs2: validate fast symlink target during inode read
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel OCFS2 filesystem allows attackers to execute code or cause denial of service via crafted fast symlinks.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-74350?
CVE-2026-74350 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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: validate fast symlink target during inode read
ocfs2_validate_inode_block() already rejects several inconsistent self-contained dinodes before they are exposed to the rest of the filesystem. Fast symlinks need the same treatment.
A zero-cluster symlink is treated as a fast symlink and later read through page_get_link() and ocfs2_fast_symlink_read_folio(). That path uses strnlen() on the inline payload and then copies len + 1 bytes into the folio. If a corrupt dinode stores an i_size that does not fit the inline area or omits the terminating NUL at i_size, that copy reads past the end of the inode block buffer.
Reject zero-cluster symlink dinodes whose i_size exceeds the inline fast-symlink capacity or whose inline payload is not NUL-terminated exactly at i_size when the inode block is validated. This keeps malformed fast symlinks from reaching the read path.
Validation reproduced this kernel report: KASAN use-after-free in ocfs2_fast_symlink_read_folio+0x12c/0x1f0 RIP: 0033:0x7f5c6d859aa7 Read of size 3905 Call trace: dump_stack_lvl+0x66/0xa0 (?:?) print_report+0xce/0x630 (?:?) ocfs2_fast_symlink_read_folio+0x12c/0x1f0 (fs/ocfs2/inode.c:?) srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 (?:?) __virt_addr_valid+0x19f/0x330 (?:?) kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 (?:?) kasan_check_range+0x105/0x1b0 (?:?) __asan_memcpy+0x23/0x60 (?:?) filemap_read_folio+0x27/0xe0 (?:?) filemap_read_folio+0x35/0xe0 (?:?) do_read_cache_folio+0x138/0x230 (?:?) __page_get_link+0x26/0x110 (?:?) page_get_link+0x2e/0x70 (?:?) vfs_readlink+0x15e/0x250 (?:?) touch_atime+0x4d/0x370 (?:?) do_readlinkat+0x186/0x200 (?:?) do_user_addr_fault+0x65a/0x890 (?:?) __x64_sys_readlink+0x46/0x60 (?:?) do_syscall_64+0x115/0x6a0 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:87) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f (?:?)
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74350?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74350?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-74350 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74350 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-74350, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74350, GHSA-c2hj-4vhc-jh3m, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74350.