# CVE-2026-84268: Gvfs: sftp: heap-based buffer overflow in read_reply()

> A malicious SFTP server can trigger a heap buffer overflow in gvfs, leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALSA-2026:73997, CLSA-2026-1791805472, CLSA-2026-1792186767, CLSA-2026-1792194238, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-84268, GHSA-8cxg-v7p7-qc7j, RHSA-2026:73997, RLSA-2026:73997, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-84268

## What is CVE-2026-84268?

CVE-2026-84268 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 1 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A flaw was found in the SFTP backend in gvfs. When mounting a share and reading a file, a malicious SFTP server can cause read_reply() to process a length that exceeds the size requested by the client. The function does not verify the server-provided length against the allocated buffer size, causing the operation to write past the intended boundaries. This issue allows a malicious server to corrupt adjacent heap memory in the gvfsd-sftp process, resulting in a denial of service as the process aborts upon detecting the heap corruption or potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

Weakness: CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-84268?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `gvfs` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afc` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afp` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-archive` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-client` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-devel` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-fuse` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-goa` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-gphoto2` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-mtp` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-smb` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afc-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afp` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afp-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-archive` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-archive-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-client` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-client-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-fuse` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-fuse-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-goa` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-goa-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-gphoto2` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-gphoto2-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-mtp` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-mtp-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-smb` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-smb-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afc-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-afp-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-archive-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-client-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |
| `gvfs-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crb | All versions | 0:1.36.2-22.el8_10 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-84268?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-84268 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-84268 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-84268 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-84268 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 1 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-84268 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. 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-2026-84268/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-84268/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-84268
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-84268
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-84268

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-84268/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.