CVE-2026-64294: mm: do file ownership checks with the proper mount idmap
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm: do file ownership checks with the proper mount idmap
Ever since idmapped mounts were introduced, inode ownership checks (for side-channel protection) in mincore() and madvise(MADVPAGEOUT) were done against the nopmntidmap, which completely ignores the file's mount's idmap. This results in odd edgecases like:
1) mount/bind-mount with an idmap userA:userB:1 2) userB runs an ownerorcapable() check on file that is owned by userA on-disk/in-memory, but owned by userB after idmap translation 3) ownerorcapable() mysteriously fails as the correct idmap wasn't supplied
In the case of mincore/madvise MADVPAGEOUT, this is usually benign, because filepermission(file, MAYWRITE) will probably succeed, as it uses the proper idmap internally, but it does not need to be the case on e.g a 0444 file where even the owner itself doesn't have permissions to write to it.
Since this is clearly not trivial to get right, introduce a fileownerorcapable() that can carry the correct semantics, and switch the various users in mm to it.
The issue was found by manual code inspection & an off-list discussion with Jan Kara.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-64294?
CVE-2026-64294 has a severity rating of high with a score of 7.1.
How do I fix CVE-2026-64294?
To fix CVE-2026-64294, you should apply the available patches provided for the Linux kernel.
What does CVE-2026-64294 affect?
CVE-2026-64294 affects the Linux kernel, specifically concerning file ownership checks with the proper mount idmap.
When was CVE-2026-64294 published?
CVE-2026-64294 was published on July 25, 2026.
How can CVE-2026-64294 impact system security?
CVE-2026-64294 can potentially lead to unauthorized file access due to improper ownership checks, affecting data integrity and confidentiality.