CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-52962NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Write

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-52962 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 521e5aba857fd267624892c8dd6295f22ce0267e, d0cb994605c84a159c1d00d72cdc8583c321ef95, ecf94823c5c6a20790bb76ed2816822b0beb0c22 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 521e5aba857fd267624892c8dd6295f22ce0267e or d0cb994605c84a159c1d00d72cdc8583c321ef95 or ecf94823c5c6a20790bb76ed2816822b0beb0c22 or 4bfdcefdaa6092a06cacd59389c7756b36e6de8c, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 4.5 or 4.10 or 4.15 or 4.20, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, 521e5aba857fd267624892c8dd6295f22ce0267e; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, d0cb994605c84a159c1d00d72cdc8583c321ef95; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, ecf94823c5c6a20790bb76ed2816822b0beb0c22; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, 4bfdcefdaa6092a06cacd59389c7756b36e6de8c; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, 7d3e8d2d648d5f0df29b4710246680f47695fe94; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, 3fa13ceefbc5f36131110342743994cb3de80637; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, bc7abce4460e490dcb579eec770f175b150b685f; 86968ef21596515958d5f0a40233d02be78ecec0 up to, but not including, 5d3cc36b4e77a27ce7b686b7c59c7072bcb3fa8e; and 11 more ranges521e5aba857fd267624892c8dd6295f22ce0267e, d0cb994605c84a159c1d00d72cdc8583c321ef95, ecf94823c5c6a20790bb76ed2816822b0beb0c22, 4bfdcefdaa6092a06cacd59389c7756b36e6de8c, 7d3e8d2d648d5f0df29b4710246680f47695fe94, 3fa13ceefbc5f36131110342743994cb3de80637
LinuxLinux Kernel4.4.192 up to, but not including, 4.5; 4.9.192 up to, but not including, 4.10; 4.14.143 up to, but not including, 4.15; 4.19.72 up to, but not including, 4.20; 5.2.14 up to, but not including, 5.3; 5.3.1 up to, but not including, 5.10.258; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.209; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.175; and 6 more ranges4.5, 4.10, 4.15, 4.20, 5.3, 5.10.258

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ceph: fix a buffer leak in __ceph_setxattr() The old_blob in __ceph_setxattr() can store ci->i_xattrs.prealloc_blob value during the retry. However, it is never called the ceph_buffer_put() for the old_blob object. This patch fixes the issue of the buffer leak.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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