Bug 2532528 (CVE-2026-89664)

Summary: CVE-2026-89664 kernel: nfsd: release OPEN-decoded posix ACLs via op_release
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: akhatavk, aos-team-art-private, asdas, dpaolell, jdelft, jupierce, lgarciaa, mbiarnes, ppalepu, ppostler, prdhamdh, rhel-process-autobot, sghai, sidsharm, suppawar, vlaad, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Network File System Daemon (nfsd). When processing malformed NFSv4 OPEN compound operations that include valid Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) Access Control List (ACL) attributes, the kernel fails to release allocated memory resources. This oversight can lead to a memory leak, which, over time, could exhaust system memory and result in a Denial of Service (DoS) for affected systems.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-11 23:41:30 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

nfsd: release OPEN-decoded posix ACLs via op_release

nfsd4_decode_createhow4() calls nfsd4_decode_fattr4(), which allocates
refcounted struct posix_acl objects via posix_acl_alloc() and stores
them in open->op_pacl and open->op_dpacl. These pointers must be
released once the OPEN compound finishes.

When nfsd4_decode_open_claim4() returns a non-seqid-mutating error,
the dispatcher short-circuits before op_func runs:

    nfsd4_proc_compound()
      if (op->status && op->opnum == OP_OPEN)
          op->status = nfsd4_open_omfg(...)
              if (!seqid_mutating_err(ntohl(op->status)))
                  return op->status;   /* nfsd4_open() never runs */
      ...
      opdesc->op_release(&op->u)  /* must still release op_pacl/op_dpacl */

Before this change OP_OPEN had no .op_release in nfsd4_ops[], and the
release pair lived inside nfsd4_open() at its out_err: label. On the
short-circuit path nfsd4_open() is never invoked, so both posix_acl
refs leak on every malformed OPEN compound that carries valid POSIX
ACL createhow4 attributes.

Add nfsd4_open_release() and wire it as .op_release for OP_OPEN.
posix_acl_release() is NULL-safe, so the single release site covers
both the normal path and the nfsd4_open_omfg short-circuit. Remove
the matching posix_acl_release() pair from nfsd4_open()'s out_err:
label to avoid double-releasing.

The compound loop has two encoding branches: nfsd4_encode_operation()
for normal ops, and nfsd4_encode_replay() for v4.0 replayed ops.
op_release was only called from nfsd4_encode_operation(), so resources
attached to op->u leak on the replay path.

Move the op_release() call out of nfsd4_encode_operation() and the
replay branch, placing it after the if-else in nfsd4_proc_compound().
This gives a single call site in a fairly obviously-correct place,
covering both the normal encoding and replay paths.