In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/filemap: make MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER acceptable to xarray
Patch series "mm/filemap: Limit page cache size to that supported by
xarray", v2.
Currently, xarray can't support arbitrary page cache size. More details
can be found from the WARN_ON() statement in xas_split_alloc(). In our
test whose code is attached below, we hit the WARN_ON() on ARM64 system
where the base page size is 64KB and huge page size is 512MB. The issue
was reported long time ago and some discussions on it can be found here
[1].
[1] https://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-xfs/msg75404.html
In order to fix the issue, we need to adjust MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER to one
supported by xarray and avoid PMD-sized page cache if needed. The code
changes are suggested by David Hildenbrand.
PATCH[1] adjusts MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER to that supported by xarray
PATCH[2-3] avoids PMD-sized page cache in the synchronous readahead path
PATCH[4] avoids PMD-sized page cache for shmem files if needed
Test program
============
cat test.c
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#define TEST_XFS_FILENAME "/tmp/data"
#define TEST_SHMEM_FILENAME "/dev/shm/data"
#define TEST_MEM_SIZE 0x20000000
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
const char *filename;
int fd = 0;
void *buf = (void *)-1, *p;
int pgsize = getpagesize();
int ret;
if (pgsize != 0x10000) {
fprintf(stderr, "64KB base page size is required\n");
return -EPERM;
}
system("echo force > /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled");
system("rm -fr /tmp/data");
system("rm -fr /dev/shm/data");
system("echo 1 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches");
/* Open xfs or shmem file */
filename = TEST_XFS_FILENAME;
if (argc > 1 && !strcmp(argv[1], "shmem"))
filename = TEST_SHMEM_FILENAME;
fd = open(filename, O_CREAT | O_RDWR | O_TRUNC);
if (fd < 0) {
fprintf(stderr, "Unable to open <%s>\n", filename);
return -EIO;
}
/* Extend file size */
ret = ftruncate(fd, TEST_MEM_SIZE);
if (ret) {
fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to ftruncate()\n", ret);
goto cleanup;
}
/* Create VMA */
buf = mmap(NULL, TEST_MEM_SIZE,
PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED, fd, 0);
if (buf == (void *)-1) {
fprintf(stderr, "Unable to mmap <%s>\n", filename);
goto cleanup;
}
fprintf(stdout, "mapped buffer at 0x%p\n", buf);
ret = madvise(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE, MADV_HUGEPAGE);
if (ret) {
fprintf(stderr, "Unable to madvise(MADV_HUGEPAGE)\n");
goto cleanup;
}
/* Populate VMA */
ret = madvise(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE, MADV_POPULATE_WRITE);
if (ret) {
fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to madvise(MADV_POPULATE_WRITE)\n", ret);
goto cleanup;
}
/* Punch the file to enforce xarray split */
ret = fallocate(fd, FALLOC_FL_KEEP_SIZE | FALLOC_FL_PUNCH_HOLE,
TEST_MEM_SIZE - pgsize, pgsize);
if (ret)
fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to fallocate()\n", ret);
cleanup:
if (buf != (void *)-1)
munmap(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE);
if (fd > 0)
close(fd);
return 0;
}
gcc test.c -o test
cat /proc/1/smaps | grep KernelPageSize | head -n 1
KernelPageSize: 64 kB
./test shmem
:
------------[ cut here ]------------
WARNING: CPU: 17 PID: 5253 at lib/xarray.c:1025 xas_split_alloc+0xf8/0x128
Modules linked in: nft_fib_inet nft_fib_ipv4 nft_fib_ipv6 nft_fib \
nft_reject_inet nf_reject_ipv4 nf_reject_ipv6 nft_reject nft_ct \
nft_chain_nat nf_nat nf_conntrack nf_defrag_ipv6 nf_defrag_ipv4 \
ip_set nf_tables rfkill nfnetlink vfat fat virtio_balloon \
drm fuse xfs libcrc32c crct10dif_ce ghash_ce sha2_ce sha256_arm64 \
virtio_net sha1_ce net_failover failover virtio_console virtio_blk \
dimlib virtio_mmio
CPU: 17 PID: 5253 Comm: test Kdump: loaded Tainted: G W 6.10.0-rc5-gavin+ #12
Hardware name: QEMU KVM Virtual Machine, BIOS edk2-20240524-1.el9 05/24/2024
pstate: 83400005 (Nzcv daif +PAN -UAO +TC
---truncated---
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (5.5): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 5.5 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.
- EG Severity
- 5.5 MEDIUMCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
- EG Likelihood
- 0.2% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-29). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at every mission impact level.CISA BOD 26-04: 60 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at every mission impact level.
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)60 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.
The score's inputs: In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it