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Linux Kernel EUVDEUVD-2026-39889

| CVE-2026-53284 HIGH
NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)
2026-06-26 Linux GHSA-r3r8-3hxx-x882
High
Disputed · 7.5 Vendor: Linux
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Local activity on btrfs volume
  2. Delivery
    Heavy concurrent writes during transaction commit
  3. Exploit
    Metadata writeout error hits faulty cleanup path
  4. Execution
    Dirty extent buffers left uncleaned
  5. Impact
    Filesystem forced read-only, warnings at umount (availability loss)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires a btrfs filesystem mounted on the target and a write/metadata-writeout failure during a transaction commit - i.e. btrfs_write_marked_extent() must return an error (the reporter induces this by forcing a filesystem 'godown' shutdown while fsstress generates concurrent writes). Limiting factors: the target must actually use btrfs (not the default on many enterprise distros); the bug is in a local in-kernel error path triggered by an I/O/transaction failure rather than by a crafted network request, so despite the CVSS AV:N/PR:N rating real exploitation needs local filesystem activity and an error condition to occur; impact is confined to availability (forced read-only / unmount warnings) with no code execution or data disclosure.

Impact

Signals are mixed and lean toward low real-world priority. The supplied CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/C:N/I:N/A:H, base 7.5) scores network, unauthenticated, low-complexity availability impact - but the description shows a local filesystem error-handling path triggered by a device/transaction write failure (the reporter reproduces it by forcing a filesystem shutdown with a 'godown' utility during fsstress), which is inconsistent with a remote network vector; the AV:N/PR:N rating should be treated with skepticism and verified against the kernel.org commit. EPSS is very low (0.17%, 6th percentile), the CVE is NOT on CISA KEV, and no POC is referenced, so there is no evidence of active exploitation. There is no SSVC decision data in the input. The 'Information Disclosure' tag directly conflicts with the CVSS C:N rating and the description (which describes only dirty-buffer cleanup, not data leakage) - treat the tag as inaccurate. Net assessment: a legitimate correctness/availability bug worth patching during normal kernel maintenance, not an emergency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On an unpatched kernel, a btrfs volume experiences a metadata writeout error during a transaction commit - for example a transient I/O failure, a removed/failing device, or (as in the reporter's test) a deliberately induced filesystem shutdown under concurrent write load. The botched cleanup leaves extent buffers dirty, forcing the filesystem read-only and emitting kernel warnings at unmount, disrupting availability of that filesystem. No POC is published and the path depends on a write failure occurring, so deliberate triggering by a remote attacker is not demonstrated.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 28, 2026

Improper error handling in the btrfs filesystem's transaction commit path (btrfs_write_and_wait_transaction) lets a failed metadata writeout leave dirty extent buffers uncleaned, forcing the filesystem read-only and triggering kernel warnings at unmount. The flaw affects Linux kernels prior to 6.18.33, 7.0.10, and 7.1 and is an availability/data-integrity issue on btrfs volumes, with no confidentiality impact despite an 'Information Disclosure' tag in the source data. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and EPSS exploitation probability is very low (0.17%, 6th percentile).

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch by upgrading to a fixed Linux kernel: 6.18.33 or later on the 6.18 series, 7.0.10 or later on the 7.0 series, or 7.1, or backport stable commits 9ebb7eba1237dc198768b9c76506a79f924c82bb / df03d67dc63722845cb9fe59d815d1225b04fd54 / 4066c55e109475a06d18a1f127c939d551211956 from git.kernel.org. Most users should take the fix through their distribution's kernel update channel. No standalone runtime configuration workaround neutralizes the underlying error-handling defect; if patching must be deferred, the practical compensating control is to ensure btrfs volumes run on reliable storage and avoid conditions that force mid-transaction write failures (e.g., abrupt device removal or I/O errors during heavy write workloads), and to monitor dmesg for transaction-abort/forced-readonly messages so an affected filesystem can be unmounted and checked, with the trade-off that this is detection/avoidance only and does not prevent the bug. Where btrfs is not required, using an unaffected filesystem removes exposure entirely.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9ebb7eba1237dc198768b9c76506a79f924c82bb
Linux patch: 7.1
Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <df03d67dc63722845cb9fe59d815d1225b04fd54
Linux 0 <6.18.33
Linux patch: 6.18.33
Linux patch: 7.0.10
Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <4066c55e109475a06d18a1f127c939d551211956
Linux 0 <7.0.10

Affected Packages

euvd linux fix: 6.18.33, 7.0.10

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The bug lives in btrfs, a copy-on-write filesystem in the mainline Linux kernel. During a transaction commit, btrfs_write_and_wait_transaction() submits all dirty extent buffers (ebs) via btrfs_write_marked_extent(), waits for completion, then calls btrfs_extent_io_tree_release() to drop the per-transaction dirty_pages io tree. The defect (a CWE-improper-error-handling / improper-cleanup class issue; the feed lists CWE as N/A) is that on a write error the code still releases the dirty_pages io tree even though it may still hold records for ebs that were never submitted. The subsequent transaction-abort cleanup path relies on that same io tree to invalidate and release the dirty ebs, but finds it empty, so the ebs remain dirty and trigger warnings in invalidate_and_check_btree_folios()/invalidate_btree_folios() at umount. CPE data identifies the affected component generically as cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux:*, i.e. the Linux kernel btrfs subsystem.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Sources disagree (Low–High)
Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 4.7 MEDIUM

Triggering needs local btrfs activity plus a mid-commit write failure (AV:L, AC:H), low-priv filesystem access (PR:L); impact is forced read-only/availability only (C:N/I:N/A:H).

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 3.3 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Red Hat 5.5 LOW

vuln.today treats the vendor’s rating as authoritative. A higher third-party CVSS (e.g. CISA-ADP) is shown for transparency but does not drive the headline severity.

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Jun 28, 2026 - 08:22 NVD
7.5 (HIGH)
Patch available
Jun 26, 2026 - 21:02 EUVD
CVE Published
Jun 26, 2026 - 19:40 cve.org
HIGH 7.5
CVE Published
Jun 26, 2026 - 19:40 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

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

btrfs: only release the dirty pages io tree after successful writes

[WARNING] With extra warning on dirty extent buffers at umount (aka, the next patch in the series), test case generic/388 can trigger the following warning about dirty extent buffers at unmount time:

BTRFS critical (device dm-2 state E): emergency shutdown BTRFS error (device dm-2 state E): error while writing out transaction: -30 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state E): Skipping commit of aborted transaction. BTRFS error (device dm-2 state EA): Transaction 9 aborted (error -30) BTRFS: error (device dm-2 state EA) in cleanup_transaction:2068: errno=-30 Readonly filesystem BTRFS info (device dm-2 state EA): forced readonly BTRFS info (device dm-2 state EA): last unmount of filesystem 4fbf2e15-f941-49a0-bc7c-716315d2777c ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: disk-io.c:3311 at invalidate_and_check_btree_folios+0xfd/0x1ca [btrfs], CPU#8: umount/914368 CPU: 8 UID: 0 PID: 914368 Comm: umount Tainted: G OE 7.1.0-rc1-custom+ #372 PREEMPT(full) 2de38db8d1deae71fde295430a0ff3ab98ccf596 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022 RIP: 0010:invalidate_and_check_btree_folios+0xfd/0x1ca [btrfs] Call Trace: <TASK> close_ctree+0x52e/0x574 [btrfs d2f0b1cd330d1287e7a9919d112eadfc0e914efd] generic_shutdown_super+0x89/0x1a0 kill_anon_super+0x16/0x40 btrfs_kill_super+0x16/0x20 [btrfs d2f0b1cd330d1287e7a9919d112eadfc0e914efd] deactivate_locked_super+0x2d/0xb0 cleanup_mnt+0xdc/0x140 task_work_run+0x5a/0xa0 exit_to_user_mode_loop+0x123/0x4b0 do_syscall_64+0x243/0x7c0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30539776 owner 9 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30621696 owner 257 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30638080 owner 258 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30654464 owner 7 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30703616 owner 2 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30720000 owner 10 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30736384 owner 4 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7 BTRFS warning (device dm-2 state EA): unable to release extent buffer 30752768 owner 11 gen 9 refs 2 flags 0x7

I'm using a stripped down version, which seems to trigger the warning more reliably:

_fsstress_pid="" workload() { dmesg -C mkfs.btrfs -f -K $dev > /dev/null echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/clear_warn_once mount $dev $mnt $fsstress -w -n 1024 -p 4 -d $mnt & _fsstress_pid=$! sleep 0 $godown $mnt pkill --echo -PIPE fsstress > /dev/null wait $_fsstress_pid unset _fsstress_pid umount $mnt

if dmesg | grep -q "WARNING"; then fail fi }

for (( i = 0; i < $runtime; i++ )); do echo "= $i/$runtime =" workload done

[CAUSE] Inside btrfs_write_and_wait_transaction(), we first try to write all dirty ebs, then wait for them to finish.

After that we call btrfs_extent_io_tree_release() to free all extent states from dirty_pages io tree.

However if we hit an error from btrfs_write_marked_extent(), then we still call btrfs_extent_io_tree_release() to clear that dirty_pages io tree, which may contain dirty records that we haven't yet submitted.

Furthermore, the later transaction cleanup path will utilize that dirty_pages io tree to properly cleanup those dirty ebs, but since it's already empty, no dirty ebs are properly cleaned up, thus will later trigger the warnings inside invalidate_btree_folios(). ---truncated---

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-53284 affects the Linux btrfs filesystem driver across kernels prior to 6.18.33, 7.0.10, and 7.1, causing affected volumes to become read-only following metadata write failures and disrupting operations. The real-world risk is low given a 0.2% exploitation probability score and absence of known public exploits, but organizations using btrfs storage should apply available kernel patches to restore filesystem reliability.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 94% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Linux kernel is ubiquitous; btrfs is a widely available, default-on-some-distros filesystem
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Low
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

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