CVE-2024-41013

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

xfs: dont walk off the end of a directory data block

This adds sanity checks for xfs_dir2_data_unused and xfs_dir2_data_entry to make sure dont stray beyond valid memory region. Before patching, the loop simply checks that the start offset of the dup and dep is within the range. So in a crafted image, if last entry is xfs_dir2_data_unused, we can change dup->length to dup->length-1 and leave 1 byte of space. In the next traversal, this space will be considered as dup or dep. We may encounter an out of bound read when accessing the fixed members.

In the patch, we make sure that the remaining bytes large enough to hold an unused entry before accessing xfs_dir2_data_unused and xfs_dir2_data_unused is XFS_DIR2_DATA_ALIGN byte aligned. We also make sure that the remaining bytes large enough to hold a dirent with a single-byte name before accessing xfs_dir2_data_entry.

Weakness

The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

• Assume all input is malicious. Use an “accept known good” input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
• When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, “boat” may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as “red” or “blue.”
• Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code’s environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
• To reduce the likelihood of introducing an out-of-bounds read, ensure that you validate and ensure correct calculations for any length argument, buffer size calculation, or offset. Be especially careful of relying on a sentinel (i.e. special character such as NUL) in untrusted inputs.

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/540.html

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c7fcdb6d06cdf8b19b57c17605215b06afa864a
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0932e4f9da85349d1c8f2a77d2a7a7163b8511d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca96d83c93071f95cf962ce92406621a472df31b
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c7fcdb6d06cdf8b19b57c17605215b06afa864a
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html