Advisory [CVE-2026-53017] fix data loss caused by incorrect use of nat_entry flag
This security Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-53017.
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Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: fix data loss caused by incorrect use of nat_entry flag Data loss can occur when fsync is performed on a newly created file (before any checkpoint has been written) concurrently with a checkpoint operation.
The scenario is as follows: create & write & fsync 'file A' write checkpoint - f2fs_do_sync_file // inline inode - f2fs_write_inode // inode folio is dirty - f2fs_write_checkpoint - f2fs_flush_merged_writes - f2fs_sync_node_pages - f2fs_flush_nat_entries - f2fs_fsync_node_pages // no dirty node - f2fs_need_inode_block_update // return false SPO and lost 'file A' f2fs_flush_nat_entries() sets the IS_CHECKPOINTED and HAS_LAST_FSYNC flags for the nat_entry, but this does not mean that the checkpoint has actually completed successfully.
However, f2fs_need_inode_block_update() checks these flags and incorrectly assumes that the checkpoint has finished. The root cause is that the semantics of IS_CHECKPOINTED and HAS_LAST_FSYNC are only guaranteed after the checkpoint write fully completes.
This patch modifies f2fs_need_inode_block_update() to acquire the sbi->node_write lock before reading the nat_entry flags, ensuring that once IS_CHECKPOINTED and HAS_LAST_FSYNC are observed to be set, the checkpoint operation has already completed. Red Hat severity: not rated.
Weakness: CWE-367.
Affected versions
No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative — check it before change work.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 9 days ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists — confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 9 days ago·verify at source
Mitigation
The source record does not include mitigation steps. That is not a statement that no fix exists — read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 9 days ago·verify at source
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