CVE-2026-53391
Received Received - Intake

Kernel NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux NFSv4/pNFS

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-53391, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-07-19

Last updated on: 2026-07-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: NFSv4/pNFS: reject zero-length r_addr in nfs4_decode_mp_ds_addr nfs4_decode_mp_ds_addr() decodes the r_netid and r_addr opaques of a netaddr4 from a GETDEVICEINFO multipath-DS body, then immediately calls strrchr(buf, '.') to locate the port separator. Both decodes use xdr_stream_decode_string_dup(), and the current code checks only "nlen < 0" / "rlen < 0" before dereferencing the returned string. When the on-wire opaque has length zero, xdr_stream_decode_opaque_inline() returns 0 and xdr_stream_decode_string_dup() falls through to its "*str = NULL; return ret" tail, leaving buf NULL with a return value of 0. The "< 0" check does not catch this, and the next line is strrchr(NULL, '.'), a kernel NULL pointer dereference reachable from any pNFS-flexfile client mounted against a malicious or compromised metadata server. Reject the zero-length cases explicitly so the decoder fails with -EBADMSG (treated as a malformed GETDEVICEINFO body) instead of panicking the client.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-07-19
Last Modified
2026-07-19
Generated
2026-07-20
AI Q&A
2026-07-19
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where a NULL pointer dereference can occur in the NFSv4/pNFS component. The issue happens when decoding network address information from a server response. If the server sends a zero-length address field, the code fails to handle it properly, leading to a crash when trying to process the malformed data.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's NFSv4/pNFS implementation and may not have direct detection commands. Monitor kernel logs for NULL pointer dereference errors or panics related to NFS operations. Check if your system is running a vulnerable kernel version and inspect network traffic for malformed GETDEVICEINFO responses from NFS servers.

Impact Analysis

If you use NFSv4 or pNFS with a malicious or compromised metadata server, this vulnerability could cause your Linux system to crash or become unresponsive. This could lead to data access issues or service disruptions for systems relying on NFS shares.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards. It is a kernel-level issue causing a NULL pointer dereference in NFSv4/pNFS clients, leading to potential system crashes rather than data breaches or unauthorized access. Compliance impacts would only occur if the crash disrupts systems handling regulated data.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version that resolves this issue. If immediate patching is not possible, disable pNFS or restrict access to untrusted NFS servers until the update is applied. Monitor vendor advisories for kernel updates addressing this CVE.

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