CVE-2024-42111: btrfs: always do the basic checks for btrfs_qgroup_inherit structure
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
btrfs: always do the basic checks for btrfs_qgroup_inherit structure
[BUG]
Syzbot reports the following regression detected by KASAN:
BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in btrfs_qgroup_inherit+0x42e/0x2e20 fs/btrfs/qgroup.c:3277
Read of size 8 at addr ffff88814628ca50 by task syz-executor318/5171
CPU: 0 PID: 5171 Comm: syz-executor318 Not tainted 6.10.0-rc2-syzkaller-00010-g2ab795141095 #0
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 04/02/2024
Call Trace:
<TASK>
__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline]
dump_stack_lvl+0x241/0x360 lib/dump_stack.c:114
print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:377 [inline]
print_report+0x169/0x550 mm/kasan/report.c:488
kasan_report+0x143/0x180 mm/kasan/report.c:601
btrfs_qgroup_inherit+0x42e/0x2e20 fs/btrfs/qgroup.c:3277
create_pending_snapshot+0x1359/0x29b0 fs/btrfs/transaction.c:1854
create_pending_snapshots+0x195/0x1d0 fs/btrfs/transaction.c:1922
btrfs_commit_transaction+0xf20/0x3740 fs/btrfs/transaction.c:2382
create_snapshot+0x6a1/0x9e0 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:875
btrfs_mksubvol+0x58f/0x710 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:1029
btrfs_mksnapshot+0xb5/0xf0 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:1075
__btrfs_ioctl_snap_create+0x387/0x4b0 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:1340
btrfs_ioctl_snap_create_v2+0x1f2/0x3a0 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:1422
btrfs_ioctl+0x99e/0xc60
vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
__do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:907 [inline]
__se_sys_ioctl+0xfc/0x170 fs/ioctl.c:893
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
RIP: 0033:0x7fcbf1992509
RSP: 002b:00007fcbf1928218 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000010
RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007fcbf1a1f618 RCX: 00007fcbf1992509
RDX: 0000000020000280 RSI: 0000000050009417 RDI: 0000000000000003
RBP: 00007fcbf1a1f610 R08: 00007ffea1298e97 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 00007fcbf19eb660
R13: 00000000200002b8 R14: 00007fcbf19e60c0 R15: 0030656c69662f2e
</TASK>
And it also pinned it down to commit b5357cb268c4 ("btrfs: qgroup: do not
check qgroup inherit if qgroup is disabled").
[CAUSE]
That offending commit skips the whole qgroup inherit check if qgroup is
not enabled.
But that also skips the very basic checks like
num_ref_copies/num_excl_copies and the structure size checks.
Meaning if a qgroup enable/disable race is happening at the background,
and we pass a btrfs_qgroup_inherit structure when the qgroup is
disabled, the check would be completely skipped.
Then at the time of transaction commitment, qgroup is re-enabled and
btrfs_qgroup_inherit() is going to use the incorrect structure and
causing the above KASAN error.
[FIX]
Make btrfs_qgroup_check_inherit() only skip the source qgroup checks.
So that even if invalid btrfs_qgroup_inherit structure is passed in, we
can still reject invalid ones no matter if qgroup is enabled or not.
Furthermore we do already have an extra safety inside
btrfs_qgroup_inherit(), which would just ignore invalid qgroup sources,
so even if we only skip the qgroup source check we're still safe.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-42111 is a Linux kernel Btrfs bug where malformed quota-group inheritance data can reach snapshot transaction handling after a quota enable/disable race. The public record shows a KASAN out-of-bounds read found by syzbot, not confirmed real-world attacks.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted Linux kernel maintenance issue, not an internet-wide emergency. Patch affected Btrfs systems through normal kernel update channels, with higher priority for multi-user or automated snapshot environments.
Technical view
In Btrfs, commit b5357cb268c4 skipped all qgroup inheritance validation when qgroups were disabled. That also skipped basic structure and count checks. If qgroups were re-enabled before transaction commit, btrfs_qgroup_inherit() could process an invalid btrfs_qgroup_inherit structure and trigger a slab out-of-bounds read.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems running affected kernels with Btrfs filesystems where snapshot creation and qgroup inheritance paths are reachable. The source bundle names Linux kernel versions around 6.9, 6.9.9, and 6.10, but version data is incomplete and should be verified against vendor kernel advisories.
Exploitation context
The evidence is a syzbot/KASAN report and kernel fix narrative. The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no source confirming active exploitation, public exploit availability, privilege requirements, or impact beyond the reported out-of-bounds read.
Researcher notes
The fix preserves basic btrfs_qgroup_inherit validation regardless of qgroup enabled state and only skips source qgroup checks when appropriate. Public sources do not provide CVSS, CWE, exploitability details, or a complete affected-version matrix.
Mitigation direction
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable Btrfs fixes.
Check your Linux distribution advisory for exact fixed package versions.
Prioritize hosts that use Btrfs snapshots or quota groups.
Consider reducing untrusted local access to Btrfs snapshot operations until patched.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernels and identify systems using Btrfs.
Check whether Btrfs quota groups and snapshot workflows are used.
Compare running kernel builds against vendor fixed-version guidance.
Review kernel logs for Btrfs, qgroup, KASAN, or crash indicators.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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