CVE-2026-71222
Description
A heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability was found in gfs2-utils. The ea_num_ptrs field from on-disk extended attribute metadata is consumed without bounds validation, causing a heap buffer over-read that may disclose sensitive memory contents or cause a crash when processing crafted GFS2 filesystem images.
Statement
This vulnerability is assessed as Moderate impact because the ea_num_ptrs heap over-read is a read-only operation that cannot corrupt memory. The primary risk is information disclosure (heap memory contents leaked through tool output) and potential denial of service if the over-read crosses a page boundary. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction (an administrator must run a gfs2-utils tool on the crafted image). The vulnerability does not affect the kernel GFS2 driver.
Mitigation
Do not process untrusted GFS2 filesystem images with gfs2-utils tools. Run gfs2-utils tools in a containerized or VM-isolated environment when processing untrusted images.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.3 | 6.3 | 5.3 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | High | High |
| Privileges Required | None | None | None |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | None |
| Availability Impact | Low | High | Low |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
An attacker could get secret values such as cryptographic keys, PII, memory addresses, or other information that could be used in additional attacks.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Out-of-bounds memory could contain memory addresses or other information that can be used to bypass ASLR and other protection mechanisms in order to improve the reliability of exploiting a separate weakness for code execution.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
An attacker could cause a segmentation fault or crash by causing memory to be read outside of the bounds of the buffer. This is especially likely when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string.
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
The read operation could produce other undefined or unexpected results.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Tristan Madani (Talence Security) for reporting this issue.
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