CVE-2017-7495 — fs/ext4/inode

fs/ext4/inode.c in the Linux kernel before 4.6.2, when ext4 data=ordered mode is used, mishandles a needs-flushing-before-commit list, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information from other users' files in opportunistic circumstances by waiting for a hardware re

01What is this vulnerability?

fs/ext4/inode.c in the Linux kernel before 4.6.2, when ext4 data=ordered mode is used, mishandles a needs-flushing-before-commit list, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information from other users' files in opportunistic circumstances by waiting for a hardware reset, creating a new file, making write system calls, and reading this file.

02Affected products

No structured affected-product list available — see references below for vendor advisories.

03Active exploitation status

Not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. EPSS is the best forward-looking signal — see the EPSS row above.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Ask SARA in chat to draft a starting detection for this CVE in your stack of choice.

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2017-05-15T18:29:00.373
• Last modified: 2026-05-13T00:24:29.033

09References

• git.kernel.org — http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=06bd3c…
• www.kernel.org — http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.6.2
• www.openwall.com — http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/05/15/2
• www.securityfocus.com — http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98491
• bugzilla.redhat.com — https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1450261
• github.com — https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/06bd3c36a733ac27962fea7d6f4716884137682…
• source.android.com — https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2017-09-01
• git.kernel.org — http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=06bd3c…
• www.kernel.org — http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.6.2
• www.openwall.com — http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/05/15/2