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CVE Record

CVE-2021-47460: ocfs2: fix data corruption after conversion from inline format

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ocfs2: fix data corruption after conversion from inline format Commit 6dbf7bb55598 ("fs: Don't invalidate page buffers in block_write_full_page()") uncovered a latent bug in ocfs2 conversion from inline inode format to a normal inode format. The code in ocfs2_convert_inline_data_to_extents() attempts to zero out the whole cluster allocated for file data by grabbing, zeroing, and dirtying all pages covering this cluster. However these pages are beyond i_size, thus writeback code generally ignores these dirty pages and no blocks were ever actually zeroed on the disk. This oversight was fixed by commit 693c241a5f6a ("ocfs2: No need to zero pages past i_size.") for standard ocfs2 write path, inline conversion path was apparently forgotten; the commit log also has a reasoning why the zeroing actually is not needed. After commit 6dbf7bb55598, things became worse as writeback code stopped invalidating buffers on pages beyond i_size and thus these pages end up with clean PageDirty bit but with buffers attached to these pages being still dirty. So when a file is converted from inline format, then writeback triggers, and then the file is grown so that these pages become valid, the invalid dirtiness state is preserved, mark_buffer_dirty() does nothing on these pages (buffers are already dirty) but page is never written back because it is clean. So data written to these pages is lost once pages are reclaimed. Simple reproducer for the problem is: xfs_io -f -c "pwrite 0 2000" -c "pwrite 2000 2000" -c "fsync" \ -c "pwrite 4000 2000" ocfs2_file After unmounting and mounting the fs again, you can observe that end of 'ocfs2_file' has lost its contents. Fix the problem by not doing the pointless zeroing during conversion from inline format similarly as in the standard write path. [akpm@linux-foundation.org: fix whitespace, per Joseph]

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-47460 is a Linux kernel ocfs2 filesystem bug that can cause file data to be lost after an inline-file conversion and later file growth. The business impact is data integrity, not remote code execution. Systems are mainly exposed if they run affected Linux kernels and actively use ocfs2.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted data-integrity issue. It should be prioritized where ocfs2 supports business-critical storage or clustered workloads. It is lower urgency for environments without ocfs2 usage, and the source bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation.

Technical view

The ocfs2 inline-to-extent conversion path dirtied pages beyond i_size while zeroing a cluster. Writeback could ignore those clean pages with dirty buffers, preserving invalid state. Later writes after file growth could be lost when pages were reclaimed. The fix removes the unnecessary zeroing during inline conversion.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using ocfs2 on affected kernel versions or commits listed by the CVE source. Organizations not using ocfs2 are unlikely to be affected by this specific bug, although kernel package inventories should confirm filesystem usage and kernel lineage.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation. The described impact is reproducible data loss under specific filesystem write and growth conditions, but the provided sources do not establish remote attackability, privilege escalation, or public exploitation in the wild.

Researcher notes

The bug is in fs/ocfs2 inline data conversion behavior exposed by an earlier writeback change. The CVE has no CVSS, CWE, or KEV evidence in the bundle. Validate exposure by kernel branch, downstream backports, and actual ocfs2 usage rather than Linux presence alone.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify systems running Linux kernels with ocfs2 enabled or mounted.
  • Prioritize patching systems that store important data on ocfs2.
  • Update to vendor kernels containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • If no vendor advisory is available, check Linux distribution guidance.
  • Back up ocfs2 data before maintenance on exposed systems.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory mounted filesystems and kernel versions on Linux hosts.
  • Confirm whether ocfs2 is loaded, configured, or in production use.
  • Map kernel packages to vendor fixes or referenced stable commits.
  • Review storage monitoring for unexplained ocfs2 file corruption reports.
  • Run regression tests for ocfs2 workloads after patching.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
9

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
8Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
CVECVE Program Container
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxacef5107e2eacb08a16ad5db60320d65bd26a6c0, 7ed80e77c908cbaa686529a49f8ae0060c5caee7, 7ce2b16bad2cbfa3fa7bbc42c4448914f639ca47, f8a6a2ed4b7d1c3c8631eeb6d00572bc853094a8, 6dbf7bb555981fb5faf7b691e8f6169fc2b2e63b, 6dbf7bb555981fb5faf7b691e8f6169fc2b2e63b, 6dbf7bb555981fb5faf7b691e8f6169fc2b2e63b, 36ed9e604215f58cec0381ca5fcc6da05f2d87caunaffected
LinuxLinux5.10, 0, 4.9.288, 4.14.253, 4.19.214, 5.4.156, 5.10.76, 5.14.15, 5.15affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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