Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
hfsplus: fix uninit-value by validating catalog record size
Syzbot reported a KMSAN uninit-value issue in hfsplus_strcasecmp(). The
root cause is that hfs_brec_read() doesn't validate that the on-disk
record size matches the expected size for the record type being read.
When mounting a corrupted filesystem, hfs_brec_read() may read less data
than expected. For example, when reading a catalog thread record, the
debug output showed:
HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: rec_len=520, fd->entrylength=26
HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: WARNING - entrylength (26) < rec_len (520) - PARTIAL READ!
hfs_brec_read() only validates that entrylength is not greater than the
buffer size, but doesn't check if it's less than expected. It successfully
reads 26 bytes into a 520-byte structure and returns success, leaving 494
bytes uninitialized.
This uninitialized data in tmp.thread.nodeName then gets copied by
hfsplus_cat_build_key_uni() and used by hfsplus_strcasecmp(), triggering
the KMSAN warning when the uninitialized bytes are used as array indices
in case_fold().
Fix by introducing hfsplus_brec_read_cat() wrapper that:
1. Calls hfs_brec_read() to read the data
2. Validates the record size based on the type field:
- Fixed size for folder and file records
- Variable size for thread records (depends on string length)
3. Returns -EIO if size doesn't match expected
For thread records, check against HFSPLUS_MIN_THREAD_SZ before reading
nodeName.length to avoid reading uninitialized data at call sites that
don't zero-initialize the entry structure.
Also initialize the tmp variable in hfsplus_find_cat() as defensive
programming to ensure no uninitialized data even if validation is
bypassed.
hfsplus: fix uninit-value by validating catalog record size
Syzbot reported a KMSAN uninit-value issue in hfsplus_strcasecmp(). The
root cause is that hfs_brec_read() doesn't validate that the on-disk
record size matches the expected size for the record type being read.
When mounting a corrupted filesystem, hfs_brec_read() may read less data
than expected. For example, when reading a catalog thread record, the
debug output showed:
HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: rec_len=520, fd->entrylength=26
HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: WARNING - entrylength (26) < rec_len (520) - PARTIAL READ!
hfs_brec_read() only validates that entrylength is not greater than the
buffer size, but doesn't check if it's less than expected. It successfully
reads 26 bytes into a 520-byte structure and returns success, leaving 494
bytes uninitialized.
This uninitialized data in tmp.thread.nodeName then gets copied by
hfsplus_cat_build_key_uni() and used by hfsplus_strcasecmp(), triggering
the KMSAN warning when the uninitialized bytes are used as array indices
in case_fold().
Fix by introducing hfsplus_brec_read_cat() wrapper that:
1. Calls hfs_brec_read() to read the data
2. Validates the record size based on the type field:
- Fixed size for folder and file records
- Variable size for thread records (depends on string length)
3. Returns -EIO if size doesn't match expected
For thread records, check against HFSPLUS_MIN_THREAD_SZ before reading
nodeName.length to avoid reading uninitialized data at call sites that
don't zero-initialize the entry structure.
Also initialize the tmp variable in hfsplus_find_cat() as defensive
programming to ensure no uninitialized data even if validation is
bypassed.
Published:
2026-05-28
Score:
n/a
EPSS:
n/a
KEV:
No
Impact:
n/a
Action:
n/a
Analysis
No analysis available yet.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No remediation available yet.
Tracking
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Advisories
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References
History
Thu, 28 May 2026 10:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfsplus: fix uninit-value by validating catalog record size Syzbot reported a KMSAN uninit-value issue in hfsplus_strcasecmp(). The root cause is that hfs_brec_read() doesn't validate that the on-disk record size matches the expected size for the record type being read. When mounting a corrupted filesystem, hfs_brec_read() may read less data than expected. For example, when reading a catalog thread record, the debug output showed: HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: rec_len=520, fd->entrylength=26 HFSPLUS_BREC_READ: WARNING - entrylength (26) < rec_len (520) - PARTIAL READ! hfs_brec_read() only validates that entrylength is not greater than the buffer size, but doesn't check if it's less than expected. It successfully reads 26 bytes into a 520-byte structure and returns success, leaving 494 bytes uninitialized. This uninitialized data in tmp.thread.nodeName then gets copied by hfsplus_cat_build_key_uni() and used by hfsplus_strcasecmp(), triggering the KMSAN warning when the uninitialized bytes are used as array indices in case_fold(). Fix by introducing hfsplus_brec_read_cat() wrapper that: 1. Calls hfs_brec_read() to read the data 2. Validates the record size based on the type field: - Fixed size for folder and file records - Variable size for thread records (depends on string length) 3. Returns -EIO if size doesn't match expected For thread records, check against HFSPLUS_MIN_THREAD_SZ before reading nodeName.length to avoid reading uninitialized data at call sites that don't zero-initialize the entry structure. Also initialize the tmp variable in hfsplus_find_cat() as defensive programming to ensure no uninitialized data even if validation is bypassed. | |
| Title | hfsplus: fix uninit-value by validating catalog record size | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-05-28T09:36:24.361Z
Reserved: 2026-05-13T15:03:33.102Z
Link: CVE-2026-46169
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-05-28T10:16:32.537
Modified: 2026-05-28T10:16:32.537
Link: CVE-2026-46169
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.