CVE-2026-80820
Received Received - Intake

XFS Filesystem Scrubbing Infinite Loop Vulnerability

Publication date: 2026-09-04

Last updated on: 2026-09-04

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: don't livelock in scrub on a circular unlinked list LOLLM points out that online fsck can livelock if an unlinked inode list contains a loop. Use a bitmap to detect cycles.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-04
Last Modified
2026-09-04
Generated
2026-09-04
AI Q&A
2026-09-04
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-80820
EUVD
EUVD-2026-71255

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a livelock condition in the XFS filesystem during online fsck (filesystem check) operations. It occurs when an unlinked inode list contains a circular loop, causing the system to repeatedly process the same inodes without making progress. The issue is addressed by using a bitmap to detect and break these cycles.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the XFS filesystem in the Linux kernel and relates to a livelock condition during online fsck operations. Detection requires checking for circular unlinked inode lists in XFS filesystems. No direct commands are provided in the context, but monitoring for filesystem scrubbing hangs or excessive CPU usage during fsck operations may indicate this issue.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system hangs or excessive CPU usage during filesystem checks, potentially causing downtime or degraded performance on affected Linux systems using the XFS filesystem. It may require manual intervention to recover from the livelock state.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the Linux kernel patch that resolves this issue. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, updating to a patched kernel version is the primary mitigation. No immediate workaround is mentioned beyond patching. Ensure XFS filesystems are checked for corruption after applying the fix.

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