In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfs: Fix unbuffered write error handling
If all the subrequests in an unbuffered write stream fail, the subrequest
collector doesn't update the stream->transferred value and it retains its
initial LONG_MAX value. Unfortunately, if all active streams fail, then we
take the smallest value of { LONG_MAX, LONG_MAX, ... } as the value to set
in wreq->transferred - which is then returned from ->write_iter().
LONG_MAX was chosen as the initial value so that all the streams can be
quickly assessed by taking the smallest value of all stream->transferred -
but this only works if we've set any of them.
Fix this by adding a flag to indicate whether the value in
stream->transferred is valid and checking that when we integrate the
values. stream->transferred can then be initialised to zero.
This was found by running the generic/750 xfstest against cifs with
cache=none. It splices data to the target file. Once (if) it has used up
all the available scratch space, the writes start failing with ENOSPC.
This causes ->write_iter() to fail. However, it was returning
wreq->transferred, i.e. LONG_MAX, rather than an error (because it thought
the amount transferred was non-zero) and iter_file_splice_write() would
then try to clean up that amount of pipe bufferage - leading to an oops
when it overran. The kernel log showed:
CIFS: VFS: Send error in write = -28
followed by:
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008
with:
RIP: 0010:iter_file_splice_write+0x3a4/0x520
do_splice+0x197/0x4e0
or:
RIP: 0010:pipe_buf_release (include/linux/pipe_fs_i.h:282)
iter_file_splice_write (fs/splice.c:755)
Also put a warning check into splice to announce if ->write_iter() returned
that it had written more than it was asked to.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A Linux network-filesystem write failure can be reported as an impossibly large successful write. Subsequent splice cleanup may overrun pipe-buffer bookkeeping and trigger a kernel null-pointer dereference, crashing the system. The documented case involved CIFS with cache=none after storage exhaustion caused every write request to fail.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority availability issue for Linux servers using affected network-filesystem write paths, particularly storage or file-service infrastructure. Accelerate supported kernel updates where CIFS cache=none is present. For systems without relevant netfs usage, validate exposure before emergency scheduling, while retaining normal kernel patch timelines.
Technical view
When all unbuffered-write subrequests fail, stream->transferred remains invalid. The collector can assign LONG_MAX to wreq->transferred, which ->write_iter() returns as bytes written. iter_file_splice_write() then releases more pipe buffers than exist, causing an oops. The fix tracks value validity, initializes transferred to zero, and warns when ->write_iter() overreports.
Likely exposure
Potential exposure exists on systems running the listed affected Linux versions—6.10, 6.12.44, 6.16.4, and 6.17—and using relevant netfs unbuffered-write and splice paths. CIFS with cache=none is the confirmed test configuration. The record also lists an ambiguous version "0"; distribution backports and vendor version mappings require verification.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV, and the supplied sources provide no evidence of active exploitation. CVSS 3.1 scores it 7.1 with network reachability, low complexity, no privileges, and user interaction required. However, the sources do not establish a practical remote attack scenario; they document a write-failure condition caused by ENOSPC during testing.
Researcher notes
The issue was discovered through generic/750 xfstest against CIFS with cache=none after scratch-space exhaustion produced ENOSPC. The failure depends on every active unbuffered-write stream failing before reporting a valid transferred count. No CWE is supplied. Affected-version metadata contains ambiguity, so assess exact upstream commits and distribution backports rather than relying solely on the version list.
Mitigation direction
Install a distribution-supported kernel update incorporating the applicable referenced stable fix.
Prioritize systems using CIFS cache=none or comparable unbuffered netfs write paths.
If immediate updating is impossible, check vendor guidance for supported exposure-reduction measures.
Avoid treating version numbers alone as authoritative because distributions may backport kernel fixes.
Validation and detection
Inventory running kernel versions and identify systems mounting CIFS or other netfs filesystems.
Determine whether CIFS mounts use cache=none and workloads use splice-based writes.
Confirm the installed vendor kernel includes the applicable referenced stable commit or backport.
Review kernel logs for CIFS write error -28, iter_file_splice_write faults, or pipe_buf_release faults.
In staging, test relevant write-failure handling and confirm errors return without a kernel oops.
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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CVSS vector scores
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