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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 06:51 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-98975

Linux kernel: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings When an exchange covers both files from offset 0 to i_disk_size, xmi_can_exchange_reflink_flags() assumes every mapping moved and hands the reflink flag over to the other file.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.2% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-98975 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings

When an exchange covers both files from offset 0 to i_disk_size, xmi_can_exchange_reflink_flags() assumes every mapping moved and hands the reflink flag over to the other file.

That assumption is wrong. A file can still own shared blocks past i_disk_size, e.g. after EXCHANGE_RANGE_TO_EOF sets a smaller size without unmapping anything. The flag is cleared anyway, and the next write to such a block happens in place instead of CoW, corrupting the other file that shares it.

Continue reading

Commit a23eca88448e ("xfs: fix exchange-range reflink flag clearing issue with INO1_WRITTEN") fixed one instance of this. Rather than add another special case, stop moving the flags. xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink() already sets the flag on both inodes before the exchange, so both just keep it.

Nothing sets CLEAR_INO{1,2}_REFLINK anymore. Intents logged by older kernels may still carry them; recovery already masks them off, so they stay in the log format mask and are ignored.

XFS_IOC_SWAPEXT has the same problem: it moves the reflink flag from one inode to the other along with the extents. Just removing that is not enough here: the exchange path flags both inodes up front in xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink(), but swapext has no such step, so the inode receiving the shared extents would be left without the flag. Set it on both inodes instead, and make sure both have a CoW fork, since an inode with the reflink flag is expected to have one.

The flag now stays until FALLOC_FL_UNSHARE_RANGE, xfs_scrub, or a truncate to zero removes it.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.8

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.2%

Scored Percentile 5.5%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-98975 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-98975, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 24). Linux kernel: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings (CVE-2026-98975). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98975

MLA

"Linux kernel: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings (CVE-2026-98975)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98975.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings (CVE-2026-98975)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98975.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings (Oct 23, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfs: stop exchanging reflink flags when exchanging mappings

When an exchange covers both files from offset 0 to i_disk_size,
xmi_can_exchange_reflink_flags() assumes every mapping moved and hands
the reflink flag over to the other file.

That assumption is wrong.  A file can still own shared blocks past
i_disk_size, e.g. after EXCHANGE_RANGE_TO_EOF sets a smaller size
without unmapping anything.  The flag is cleared anyway, and the next
write to such a block happens in place instead of CoW, corrupting the
other file that shares it.

Commit a23eca88448e ("xfs: fix exchange-range reflink flag clearing
issue with INO1_WRITTEN") fixed one instance of this.  Rather than add
another special case, stop moving the flags.
xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink() already sets the flag on both inodes
before the exchange, so both just keep it.

Nothing sets CLEAR_INO{1,2}_REFLINK anymore.  Intents logged by older
kernels may still carry them; recovery already masks them off, so they
stay in the log format mask and are ignored.

XFS_IOC_SWAPEXT has the same problem: it moves the reflink flag from
one inode to the other along with the extents.  Just removing that is
not enough here: the exchange path flags both inodes up front in
xfs_exchmaps_ensure_reflink(), but swapext has no such step, so the
inode receiving the shared extents would be left without the flag.
Set it on both inodes instead, and make sure both have a CoW fork,
since an inode with the reflink flag is expected to have one.

The flag now stays until FALLOC_FL_UNSHARE_RANGE, xfs_scrub, or a
truncate to zero removes it.
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98975).
EPSS 0.2% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98975&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-98975: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98975
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=9000
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98975&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-98975.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 27, 2026, 01:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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