---
id: CVE-2026-72159
title: 'ocfs2: reject non-inline dinodes with i_size and zero i_clusters'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  ocfs2: reject non-inline dinodes with i_size and zero i_clusters

  On a volume mounted without OCFS2_FEATURE_INCOMPAT_SPARSE_ALLOC, a
  non-inline regular file with non-ze…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    416d3e5f8a30ed04fe21ba7dc73c2841c3b56265
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    83f6756a7b71adec0a41ae68e079a38906d59c6c
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    38c1ef7ce50eb4af0f89038b8aba12396ddb9233
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    d837068eefbc2651fe5789bf75a0f945710f7b8e
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    2174c68f623b74bd8690a4a6a4a52882d8ac3dc3
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    3bfeb436d4be6a2beb56cab344770e93e6b07260
  - >-
    Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 <
    7ebc672fab7a76e1e47e0f2fc1ee48118d27fde4
  - Linux 2.6.29
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:52:12.468586Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:55:21.406Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72159'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/416d3e5f8a30ed04fe21ba7dc73c2841c3b56265'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83f6756a7b71adec0a41ae68e079a38906d59c6c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38c1ef7ce50eb4af0f89038b8aba12396ddb9233'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d837068eefbc2651fe5789bf75a0f945710f7b8e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2174c68f623b74bd8690a4a6a4a52882d8ac3dc3'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3bfeb436d4be6a2beb56cab344770e93e6b07260'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ebc672fab7a76e1e47e0f2fc1ee48118d27fde4'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.0022
epssPercentile: 0.12544
ingestedAt: '2026-11-06T18:00:12.591Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ocfs2: reject non-inline dinodes with i_size and zero i_clusters

On a volume mounted without OCFS2_FEATURE_INCOMPAT_SPARSE_ALLOC, a
non-inline regular file with non-zero i_size and zero i_clusters is
structurally malformed: the extent map declares no allocated clusters yet
the size header claims content exists.  Keep rejecting that shape, but
express it through a shared predicate so the same invariant is available
to normal inode reads and online filecheck.

The same zero-cluster shape is also malformed for non-inline directories. 
ocfs2 directory growth allocates backing storage before advancing i_size,
and ocfs2_dir_foreach_blk_el() later walks until ctx->pos reaches
i_size_read(inode).  A forged directory dinode with a huge i_size and no
clusters would repeatedly fail on holes while advancing through the
claimed size.

Sparse regular files remain exempt: on sparse-alloc volumes, truncate can
legitimately grow i_size without allocating clusters.  System inodes and
inline-data dinodes also retain their separate storage rules.

Mirror the check in ocfs2_filecheck_validate_inode_block() as well. 
filecheck reports through its own error namespace, so malformed
size/cluster state is logged as a filecheck invalid-inode result rather
than via ocfs2_error(), but it must not proceed into
ocfs2_populate_inode().

## Affected

- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 416d3e5f8a30ed04fe21ba7dc73c2841c3b56265`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < ed0f938f946f16b772e99cb8c277ab57828e5be4`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 83f6756a7b71adec0a41ae68e079a38906d59c6c`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 38c1ef7ce50eb4af0f89038b8aba12396ddb9233`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < d837068eefbc2651fe5789bf75a0f945710f7b8e`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 2174c68f623b74bd8690a4a6a4a52882d8ac3dc3`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 3bfeb436d4be6a2beb56cab344770e93e6b07260`
- `Linux >= b657c95c11088d77fc1bfc9c84d940f778bf9d12 < 7ebc672fab7a76e1e47e0f2fc1ee48118d27fde4`
- `Linux 2.6.29`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.