CVE-2026-43288: ext4: move ext4_percpu_param_init() before ext4_mb_init()

Published May 8, 2026
·
Updated

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

ext4: move ext4percpuparaminit() before ext4mbinit()

When running kvm-xfstests -c ext4/1k -C 1 generic/383 with the DOUBLECHECK macro defined, the following panic is triggered:

================================================================== EXT4-fs error (device vdc): ext4validateblockbitmap:423: comm mount: bg 0: bad block bitmap checksum BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ff110000fa2cc000 PGD 3e01067 P4D 3e02067 PUD 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 2386 Comm: mount Tainted: G W 6.18.0-gba65a4e7120a-dirty #1152 PREEMPT(none) RIP: 0010:percpucounteraddbatch+0x13/0xa0 Call Trace: <TASK> ext4markgroupbitmapcorrupted+0xcb/0xe0 ext4validateblockbitmap+0x2a1/0x2f0 ext4readblockbitmap+0x33/0x50 mbgroupbbbitmapalloc+0x33/0x80 ext4mbaddgroupinfo+0x190/0x250 ext4mbinitbackend+0x87/0x290 ext4mbinit+0x456/0x640 ext4fillsuper+0x1072/0x1680 ext4fillsuper+0xd3/0x280 gettreebdevflags+0x132/0x1d0 vfsgettree+0x29/0xd0 vfscmdcreate+0x59/0xe0 dosysfsconfig+0x4f6/0x6b0 dosyscall64+0x50/0x1f0 entrySYSCALL64afterhwframe+0x76/0x7e ==================================================================

This issue can be reproduced using the following commands: mkfs.ext4 -F -q -b 1024 /dev/sda 5G tune2fs -O quota,project /dev/sda mount /dev/sda /tmp/test

With DOUBLECHECK defined, mbgroupbbbitmapalloc() reads and validates the block bitmap. When the validation fails, ext4markgroupbitmapcorrupted() attempts to update sbi->sfreeclusterscounter. However, this percpucounter has not been initialized yet at this point, which leads to the panic described above.

Fix this by moving the execution of ext4percpuparaminit() to occur before ext4mbinit(), ensuring the per-CPU counters are initialized before they are used.

Affected Software

12 affected components
Linux Linux kernel (ext4)
Linux Linux kernel>=3.17<6.6.128
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.75
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.16
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<6.19.6
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc6
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc7

Event History

May 8, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·01:11 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·01:11 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·02:16 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-43288?

CVE-2026-43288 is classified as a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel affecting the ext4 file system.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-43288?

To fix CVE-2026-43288, update your Linux kernel to the latest version where this vulnerability has been patched.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-43288?

CVE-2026-43288 affects systems running the Linux kernel with ext4 filesystem.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-43288?

CVE-2026-43288 is a programming error vulnerability related to the initialization sequence in the ext4 filesystem.

5

What is the impact of CVE-2026-43288?

The impact of CVE-2026-43288 may include system panic when specific tests are executed.

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