Bug 2502884 (CVE-2026-64192)

Summary: CVE-2026-64192 kernel: bpf: Reject BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE creation if BPF LSM is uninitialized
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerability-draftAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: ---
Doc Text:
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. When the BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) Linux Security Module (LSM) is compiled into the kernel but not explicitly enabled at boot, a privileged user can create and update a BPF inode storage map. This improper initialization leads to an incorrect memory offset calculation, which can corrupt internal kernel structures. Consequently, this can trigger a kernel panic, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) for the system.
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-07-20 17:03:35 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: Reject BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE creation if BPF LSM is uninitialized

When CONFIG_BPF_LSM=y is set, BPF inode storage maps
(BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE) are compiled into the kernel. However,
if the BPF LSM is not explicitly enabled at boot time (e.g. omitted
from the "lsm=" boot parameter), lsm_prepare() is never executed for
the BPF LSM.

Consequently, the BPF inode security blob offset
(bpf_lsm_blob_sizes.lbs_inode) is never initialized and remains at
its default compiled size of 8 bytes instead of being updated to a
valid offset past the reserved struct rcu_head (typically 16 bytes
or more).

When a privileged user creates and updates a BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE
map, bpf_inode() evaluates inode->i_security + 8. This erroneously
aliases the struct rcu_head.func callback pointer at the beginning
of the inode->i_security blob. During subsequent map element cleanup
or inode destruction, writing NULL to owner_storage clears the queued
RCU callback pointer. When rcu_do_batch() later executes the queued
callback, it attempts an instruction fetch at address 0x0, triggering
an immediate kernel panic.

Fix this by introducing a global bpf_lsm_initialized boolean flag
marked with __ro_after_init. Set this flag to true inside bpf_lsm_init()
when the LSM framework successfully registers the BPF LSM. Gate map
allocation in inode_storage_map_alloc() on this flag, returning
-EOPNOTSUPP if the BPF LSM is in turn uninitialized.

This fail-fast approach prevents userspace from allocating inode
storage maps when the supporting BPF LSM infrastructure is absent,
avoiding zombie map states.