CVE-2024-26982: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Squashfs: check the inode number is not the invalid value of zero Syskiller has ...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Squashfs: check the inode number is not the invalid value of zero Syskiller has produced an out of bounds access in fill_meta_index(). That out of bounds access is ultimately caused because the inode has an inode number with the invalid value of zero, which was not checked. The reason this causes the out of bounds access is due to following sequence of events: 1. Fill_meta_index() is called to allocate (via empty_meta_index()) and fill a metadata index. It however suffers a data read error and aborts, invalidating the newly returned empty metadata index. It does this by setting the inode number of the index to zero, which means unused (zero is not a valid inode number). 2. When fill_meta_index() is subsequently called again on another read operation, locate_meta_index() returns the previous index because it matches the inode number of 0. Because this index has been returned it is expected to have been filled, and because it hasn't been, an out of bounds access is performed. This patch adds a sanity check which checks that the inode number is not zero when the inode is created and returns -EINVAL if it is. [phillip@squashfs.org.uk: whitespace fix]

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.1/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.28%

19.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-125

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	< 6.6.30	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.7, < 6.8.8	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.9	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: May 1, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-26982?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Squashfs: check the inode number is not the invalid value of zero Syskiller has produced an out of bounds access in fill_meta_index(). That out of bounds access is ultimately caused because the inode has an inode number with the invalid value of zero, which was not checked. The reason this causes the out of bounds access is due to following sequence of events: 1. Fill_meta_index() is called to allocate (via empty_meta_index()) and fill a metadata index. It however suffers a data read error and aborts, invalidating the newly returned empty metadata index. It does this by setting the inode number of the index to zero, which means unused (zero is not a valid inode number). 2. When fill_meta_index() is subsequently called again on another read operation, locate_meta_index() returns the previous index because it matches the inode number of 0. Because this index has been returned it is expected to have been filled, and because it hasn't been, an out of bounds access is performed. This patch adds a sanity check which checks that the inode number is not zero when the inode is created and returns -EINVAL if it is. [phillip@squashfs.org.uk: whitespace fix]

How severe is CVE-2024-26982?

CVE-2024-26982 has a CVSS score of 7.1/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.28% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-26982?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.