ceph: bound num_export_targets array for mds info v2/v3

Overview

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

ceph: bound num_export_targets array for mds info v2/v3

ceph_mdsmap_decode() in fs/ceph/mdsmap.c reads num_export_targets from each per-mds info record and advances the decode cursor by num_export_targets * sizeof(u32) without first checking that many bytes remain. The only upper-bound check that catches a runaway cursor (*p > info_end) is gated on info_v >= 4, because info_end is left NULL for info_v 2 and 3. When the monitor sends an MDS map whose per-mds info version is 2 or 3 with an oversized num_export_targets, the cursor moves past the message front buffer and the later export-targets loop calls the unchecked ceph_decode_32() on out-of-bounds memory.

A kernel client processes CEPH_MSG_MDS_MAP from its monitor session (net/ceph/mon_client.c dispatches it; fs/ceph/super.c routes it to ceph_mdsc_handle_mdsmap(), which sets end to the front buffer bound and calls ceph_mdsmap_decode()). A malicious or compromised monitor, or an on-path attacker on an unsigned/unencrypted messenger session, can therefore drive an out-of-bounds read in the client kernel; on x86_64 with KASAN it is reported as a slab-out-of-bounds read in ceph_mdsmap_decode(). The decoded values land in the internal info->export_targets[] array, so the consequence is a kernel out-of-bounds read, not an information leak to the attacker.

Impact: a malicious or compromised Ceph monitor sending an MDS map with a per-mds info version of 2 or 3 and an oversized num_export_targets field triggers an out-of-bounds read in the CephFS client kernel.

Add a ceph_decode_need() for the export-targets array before advancing the cursor, so the bound is enforced for every info_v >= 2, not only info_v >= 4. This mirrors the count-then-need idiom already used for m_data_pg_pools later in the same function.

Compute the export-targets byte count with size_mul() and reuse that checked length when advancing the cursor, so the attacker-controlled num_export_targets multiplication fails closed on overflow rather than relying on the later kcalloc() guard.

Affected

• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < 0c4bcc3ba7291d383b82ce1c2fe324f69a42da2d
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < 55a06b32438c222765138727d0a8164b103e8f0d
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < eb3e1a1cb1634c76d59c5a9cb1a026fc69d40911
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < 3bf7dba8dba9a05774b846affec61a3624ddba38
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < 58c2d3e954c13694ef6e820a5e9456461bb9e7df
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < 332c444f4dc6fa1e8b8637c9e82d29e97f768656
• Linux >= d463a43d69f4af85887671d76182437775fd1631 < a3eb169ee297aa99670ba927c659990bd1e453f3
• Linux 4.7

Remediation

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

Vendor advisories

• Red Hat VEX · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, … · updated 2026-09-18 · vex