CVE-2026-31452

Technical Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ext4: convert inline data to extents when truncate exceeds inline size

Add a check in ext4_setattr() to convert files from inline data storage

to extent-based storage when truncate() grows the file size beyond the

inline capacity. This prevents the filesystem from entering an

inconsistent state where the inline data flag is set but the file size

exceeds what can be stored inline.

Without this fix, the following sequence causes a kernel BUG_ON():

1. Mount filesystem with inode that has inline flag set and small size

2. truncate(file, 50MB) - grows size but inline flag remains set

3. sendfile() attempts to write data

4. ext4_write_inline_data() hits BUG_ON(write_size > inline_capacity)

The crash occurs because ext4_write_inline_data() expects inline storage

to accommodate the write, but the actual inline capacity (~60 bytes for

i_block + ~96 bytes for xattrs) is far smaller than the file size and

write request.

The

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected Products

References