CVE-2026-13478
Out-of-bounds read in Zephyr ext2 block-bitmap validation from a crafted s_blocks_count
The Zephyr ext2 filesystem driver validates the on-disk block bitmap in ext2_init_fs() (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_impl.c) by passing fs_blocks = s_blocks_count - s_first_data_block to ext2_bitmap_count_set(). That helper (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_bitmap.c) treats its argument as a number of bits and reads one bitmap byte per eight bits, but the bitmap buffer (BGROUP_BLOCK_BITMAP) is a single fetched block of only fs->block_size bytes (capacity fs->block_size * 8 bits). s_blocks_count and s_first_data_block are taken verbatim from the superblock and were never bounded against this single-group capacity; ext2_verify_disk_superblock() checks the magic, revision, and block-size shift but not the block count. A crafted ext2 image with an oversized s_blocks_count (up to ~4 billion, against a maximum 4096-byte block / 32768-bit bitmap) makes ext2_bitmap_count_set() scan roughly 512 MB of memory past the bitmap block — a large out-of-bounds read of the static block slab and adjacent memory. The defect is reached during mount: ext2_init_fs() is invoked from ext2_mount() (subsys/fs/ext2/ext2_ops.c), the registered .mount operation. Any path that mounts an attacker-supplied ext2 image (removable media, a disk/flash partition, or a downloaded image) triggers it. The kernel-privileged parser operates on attacker-controlled data, so the bug is exploitable wherever untrusted ext2 media can be mounted. Impact is an out-of-bounds read only: the resulting bit count is compared internally and the mount is rejected, so no attacker-controlled bytes are returned (not a useful information leak). The ~512 MB over-read will almost certainly cross an unmapped or MPU-protected boundary and fault, crashing the system — a denial of service triggered by mounting a single malformed image. The fix rejects any image whose fs_blocks exceeds fs->block_size * 8 before the scan.
Fixes and workarounds
Fix
The reporting source identifies this reference as a patch. Check the advisory for affected versions and supported release branches.
Source: CNA: zephyrAffected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| zephyr zephyrproject zephyr
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr |
≥ 3.5.0; < 4.3.2 (affected, semver) ≥ 4.4.0; < 4.4.2 (affected, semver) Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: zephyr |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 / 5.5 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | CNA: zephyr |
| 3.1 / 5.5 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | NVD: [email protected] |
Exploit evidence
No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.
References
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/9c0f869da07009d9d4bca7a99e995f9b8cea7da2CNA: zephyr · patch
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-gj29-7f7m-4c29CNA: zephyr
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/9c0f869da07009d9d4bca7a99e995f9b8cea7da2[email protected]
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-gj29-7f7m-4c29[email protected]
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