# CVE-2026-98080: btrfs: do not force reloc root creation during qgroup_account_snapshot() > A kernel bug in Btrfs quota accounting can trigger a warning and force the filesystem read-only, causing denial of service. - **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:** 25 Sep 2026 - **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026 - **Also known as:** AZL-104406, BELL-CVE-2026-98080, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98080, GHSA-m4cg-769c-m465, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98080 ## What is CVE-2026-98080? CVE-2026-98080 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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: btrfs: do not force reloc root creation during qgroup_account_snapshot() [BUG] When running btrfs/252 with quota enabled through MKFS_OPTIONS="-O quota", it has a high chance to trigger the following kernel warning and flips the fs RO: BTRFS info (device dm-2): relocating block group 30408704 flags metadata|dup ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: fs/btrfs/extent-tree.c:879 at lookup_inline_extent_backref+0x74b/0x960 [btrfs], CPU#4: btrfs/2173 CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 2173 Comm: btrfs Not tainted 7.2.0-rc6-custom+ #457 PREEMPT(full) 3adc6528fb66f7a55fe1095385818e742f200aab Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022 RIP: 0010:lookup_inline_extent_backref+0x74b/0x960 [btrfs] Call Trace: insert_inline_extent_backref+0x7c/0x160 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] __btrfs_inc_extent_ref+0xa9/0x270 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] __btrfs_run_delayed_refs+0x4af/0x11c0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_run_delayed_refs+0x9d/0xf0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] create_pending_snapshot+0x39d/0xf00 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] create_pending_snapshots+0x9b/0xc0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_commit_transaction+0x280/0xeb0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] prepare_to_relocate+0x147/0x200 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] relocate_block_group+0x6b/0x5e0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_relocate_block_group+0x92c/0x2380 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_relocate_chunk+0x3f/0x1a0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_balance+0xa2c/0x19c0 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] btrfs_ioctl+0x2839/0x2d30 [btrfs 32f09462c54d9c922fca74a3e4866f4aa7737b72] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x416/0x9a0 do_syscall_64+0xe1/0x790 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- BTRFS info (device dm-2): leaf 4593991680 gen 233 total ptrs 175 free space 5953 owner 2 BTRFS info (device dm-2): refs 3 lock_owner 2173 current 2173 item 0 key (166772736 METADATA_ITEM 1) itemoff 16250 itemsize 33 extent refs 1 gen 222 flags 2 ref#0: tree block backref root 266 [ Skip the tree dump ] item 174 key (263225344 METADATA_ITEM 0) itemoff 10328 itemsize 33 extent refs 1 gen 162 flags 258 ref#0: tree block backref root 267 BTRFS error (device dm-2): extent item not found for insert, bytenr 179847168 num_bytes 16384 parent 4594335744 root_objectid 273 owner 0 offset 0 BTRFS error (device dm-2): failed to run delayed ref for logical 179847168 num_bytes 16384 type 182 action 1 ref_mod 1: -117 [CAUSE] The above error is showing that there is a tree reference to a metadata extent that is no longer there. With "ref_verify" mount option (requires CONFIG_BTRFS_DEBUG), there is some extra debug output: BTRFS error (device dm-2): dumping block entry [180961280 16384], num_refs 0, metadata 1, from disk 0 BTRFS error (device dm-2): root entry 256, num_refs 18446744073709551615 BTRFS error (device dm-2): root entry 273, num_refs 18446744073709551615 BTRFS error (device dm-2): Ref action 3, root 273, ref_root 273, parent 0, owner 0, offset 0, num_refs 1 btrfs_force_cow_block+0x129/0x7d0 [btrfs] btrfs_cow_block+0x10a/0x250 [btrfs] btrfs_search_slot+0x5eb/0xf40 [btrfs] btrfs_insert_empty_items+0x3a/0x70 [btrfs] insert_with_overflow+0x53/0x130 [btrfs] btrfs_insert_dir_item+0x125/0x290 [btrfs] btrfs_add_link+0xaa/0x410 [btrfs] btrfs_rename+0x5ea/0xcd0 [btrfs] btrfs_rename2+0x28/0x60 [btrfs] vfs_rename+0x5b2/0xe10 filename_renameat2+0x244/0x430 __x64_sys_rename+0x48/0x70 do_syscall_64+0xe1/0x790 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 ---truncated--- Weakness: CWE-672 (Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98080? It affects 1 product. Products: Linux kernel. ## How do I fix CVE-2026-98080? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2026-98080 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98080 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-2026-98080 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2026-98080 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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-2026-98080 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-2026-98080/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98080/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98080 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98080 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98080 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98080/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.