CVE-2026-93269
Received Received - Intake

Deadlock Fix in Linux Kernel ext4 Filesystem

Publication date: 2026-09-24

Last updated on: 2026-09-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix circular lock dependency in ext4_ext_migrate Move iput(tmp_inode) after ext4_writepages_up_write() to avoid a circular lock dependency between s_writepages_rwsem and sb_internal (freeze protection). The deadlock scenario: CPU0 (EXT4_IOC_MIGRATE) CPU1 (orphan cleanup during mount) ---- ---- ext4_ext_migrate() ext4_writepages_down_write() s_writepages_rwsem (write) ext4_evict_inode() sb_start_intwrite() [sb_internal] ... ext4_writepages() s_writepages_rwsem (read) [BLOCKED] iput(tmp_inode) ext4_evict_inode() sb_start_intwrite() [BLOCKED] The tmp_inode is a temporary inode with nlink=0 created solely for building the extent tree. Its eviction does not require s_writepages_rwsem protection, so deferring iput() until after releasing the rwsem is safe.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-24
Last Modified
2026-09-24
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-93269
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86141

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where a circular lock dependency can cause a deadlock in the ext4 filesystem. The issue occurs during inode migration when a temporary inode is created and later evicted. The deadlock happens because the eviction process tries to acquire a lock that is already held by another process, blocking both operations indefinitely.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem and involves a deadlock scenario during inode migration. Detection requires checking the kernel version and verifying if the affected code path is present. Use uname -a to check your kernel version and grep for the ext4_ext_migrate function in the kernel source.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause system hangs or crashes when performing filesystem operations that trigger the ext4 inode migration process. Users may experience unresponsive systems, data corruption, or forced reboots if the deadlock occurs.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA. It is a Linux kernel deadlock issue in the ext4 filesystem that could cause system hangs but does not involve data exposure or integrity loss.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update from your distribution to patch this issue. Avoid triggering ext4 filesystem operations that involve inode migration until patched. Monitor system logs for lockups or deadlock warnings related to ext4 or filesystem operations.

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