Integer Overflow Vulnerability in U-Boot Bootloader from a Vulnerable SquashFS Image

CVE-2026-71973

What is CVE-2026-71973?

U-Boot versions prior to the 2026.10-rc4 release have a vulnerability in the sqfs_read_directory_table() function. This integer overflow can lead to improper memory allocation when handling crafted SquashFS images. Malicious actors may exploit this flaw by providing an image with a controlled superblock metablks_count value, resulting in heap buffer under-allocation and out-of-bounds writes. This could corrupt memory and potentially crash the bootloader, creating risks for affected systems.

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