Race Condition Vulnerability in Linux Kernel Affecting F2FS

CVE-2026-46194

What is CVE-2026-46194?

A race condition exists in the Linux kernel's handling of F2FS due to improper management of extent nodes during concurrent write operations. When the F2FS file system handles inode drops with I_SYNC set, an unprotected writeback thread can inadvertently insert new extent nodes into the same tree being manipulated, leading to potential crashes. This condition arises because the necessary flag, FI_NO_EXTENT, is not set before nodes are cleared. This issue not only results in instability but also compromises data integrity during concurrent access scenarios. The recent patch implements additional locking and flag checks to safeguard against such race conditions, ensuring enhanced stability and reliability of the F2FS file system.

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