CVE-2026-89768

Full vulnerability record from the local CVENow database.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs: fix user path of nested backing files backing_file_open() derives the path to be stored in the new backing file from user_file->f_path. This is incorrect when user_file itself is a backing file, which is the case for nested stacking filesystems, e.g. overlayfs mounts where the lowerdir of one overlayfs is the merged directory of another. Since commit def3ae83da02 ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in backing file f_path") the f_path of a backing file holds the real path of the intermediate layer, not the path that the user opened. Commit 924577e4f6ca ("ovl: Fix nested backing file paths") fixed this for such configurations by passing file_user_path() from ovl_open_realfile(). However, commit 6af36aeb147a ("lsm: add backing_file LSM hooks") changed the first argument of backing_file_open() from the user path back to the user file and derived the path from user_file->f_path again, silently re-introducing the problem. As a result, files mapped through a nested overlayfs show the wrong path in /proc/<pid>/maps and in perf/ftrace mmap records. For example, with two nested overlayfs mounts: mkdir -p /ovl/{lower,upper,work,merged} /ovl/nested echo hello > /ovl/lower/foo mount -t overlay overlay \ -o lowerdir=/ovl/lower,upperdir=/ovl/upper,workdir=/ovl/work \ /ovl/merged # at least two lowerdirs are needed when upperdir is nonexistent mount -t overlay overlay \ -o lowerdir=/ovl/merged:/ovl/lower /ovl/nested mapping /ovl/nested/foo shows a disconnected path instead of the user path: # readlink /proc/self/fd/3 /ovl/nested/foo # grep foo /proc/self/maps 7f6e2c100000-7f6e2c101000 r--s 00000000 00:24 15813027 /foo The bogus path is derived from the f_path of the intermediate backing file, whose mount is a private clone that d_path() cannot resolve. Fix this by using file_user_path(), which returns the outermost user-visible path for backing files and falls back to &user_file->f_path for regular files. This restores the behavior of commit 924577e4f6ca ("ovl: Fix nested backing file paths") for overlayfs and also fixes the same problem for the other backing_file_open() callers, fuse passthrough and erofs ishare, when their user file is itself a backing file. backing_tmpfile_open() has the same pattern but is not affected: it is only called by ovl_create_tmpfile() for the upper layer, and another overlayfs is rejected as upperdir by the DCACHE_OP_REAL check in ovl_mount_dir_check(), so its user_file can never be a backing file.

Severity

Not scored

CVSS score

Not available

Vulnerability status

Received

Source identifier

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Published

2026-09-11 20:20:08.090000

Last modified

2026-10-19 09:18:20.053000

View original CVE JSON

{
  "id": "CVE-2026-89768",
  "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
  "published": "2026-09-11T20:20:08.090",
  "lastModified": "2026-10-19T09:18:20.053",
  "vulnStatus": "Received",
  "cveTags": [],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfs: fix user path of nested backing files\n\nbacking_file_open() derives the path to be stored in the new backing\nfile from user_file->f_path.  This is incorrect when user_file itself\nis a backing file, which is the case for nested stacking filesystems,\ne.g. overlayfs mounts where the lowerdir of one overlayfs is the merged\ndirectory of another.  Since commit def3ae83da02 (\"fs: store real path\ninstead of fake path in backing file f_path\") the f_path of a backing\nfile holds the real path of the intermediate layer, not the path that\nthe user opened.\n\nCommit 924577e4f6ca (\"ovl: Fix nested backing file paths\") fixed this\nfor such configurations by passing file_user_path() from\novl_open_realfile().  However, commit 6af36aeb147a (\"lsm: add\nbacking_file LSM hooks\") changed the first argument of\nbacking_file_open() from the user path back to the user file and\nderived the path from user_file->f_path again, silently re-introducing\nthe problem.\n\nAs a result, files mapped through a nested overlayfs show the wrong\npath in /proc/<pid>/maps and in perf/ftrace mmap records.  For example,\nwith two nested overlayfs mounts:\n\n  mkdir -p /ovl/{lower,upper,work,merged} /ovl/nested\n  echo hello > /ovl/lower/foo\n  mount -t overlay overlay \\\n\t-o lowerdir=/ovl/lower,upperdir=/ovl/upper,workdir=/ovl/work \\\n\t/ovl/merged\n  # at least two lowerdirs are needed when upperdir is nonexistent\n  mount -t overlay overlay \\\n\t-o lowerdir=/ovl/merged:/ovl/lower /ovl/nested\n\nmapping /ovl/nested/foo shows a disconnected path instead of the user\npath:\n\n  # readlink /proc/self/fd/3\n  /ovl/nested/foo\n  # grep foo /proc/self/maps\n  7f6e2c100000-7f6e2c101000 r--s 00000000 00:24 15813027 /foo\n\nThe bogus path is derived from the f_path of the intermediate backing\nfile, whose mount is a private clone that d_path() cannot resolve.\n\nFix this by using file_user_path(), which returns the outermost\nuser-visible path for backing files and falls back to\n&user_file->f_path for regular files.  This restores the behavior of\ncommit 924577e4f6ca (\"ovl: Fix nested backing file paths\") for\noverlayfs and also fixes the same problem for the other\nbacking_file_open() callers, fuse passthrough and erofs ishare, when\ntheir user file is itself a backing file.\n\nbacking_tmpfile_open() has the same pattern but is not affected: it is\nonly called by ovl_create_tmpfile() for the upper layer, and another\noverlayfs is rejected as upperdir by the DCACHE_OP_REAL check in\novl_mount_dir_check(), so its user_file can never be a backing file."
    }
  ],
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
      "affectedData": [
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/backing-file.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "5b6aa9a843205da92d860e5011a7b29062a76b8f",
              "lessThan": "88c927a63dc717b6d46b20fe13ea713916e49089",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "5dfcb15974e7d0f96aca278dd9f1b85df91523ef",
              "lessThan": "c03114634d342648bd34910aa8fb88007e92cc3c",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6af36aeb147a06dea47c49859cd6ca5659aeb987",
              "lessThan": "a35cc21355734e1acb89973d9be90ca8e4c3ed2f",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6af36aeb147a06dea47c49859cd6ca5659aeb987",
              "lessThan": "f2381b546e7e6a35c9fcee0d0ccb6c042a9aeb5d",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "41c5b269af8b1f0bffcab7766a793f294ae6764e",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "27e795afba0018b0ea9460dbad4bd706d1ba5ee0",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.12.95",
              "lessThan": "6.12.109",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.18.38",
              "lessThan": "6.18.50",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.6.144",
              "lessThan": "6.7",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.0.4",
              "lessThan": "7.1",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "affected"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/backing-file.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "7.1",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "0",
              "lessThan": "7.1",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.12.109",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.18.50",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.2.4",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.3",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
              "status": "unaffected"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {},
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88c927a63dc717b6d46b20fe13ea713916e49089",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a35cc21355734e1acb89973d9be90ca8e4c3ed2f",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c03114634d342648bd34910aa8fb88007e92cc3c",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2381b546e7e6a35c9fcee0d0ccb6c042a9aeb5d",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    }
  ]
}