ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed

{
  "id": "53bcae8bfeb49b348a8513719a9aead87e1181bb9047755a94ace6705416336d",
  "url": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98885",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed",
    "summary": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed During early boot, the filesystem is read-only and any changes to xattrs are not allowed. This fails in case of ext4 because changing xattr starts an ext4 transaction which fails with the following warning. WARNING: fs/ext4/ext4_jbd2.c:75 at ext4_journal_check_start+0x63/0xa0 [ext4], CPU#1: systemd-sysroot/561 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 561 Comm: systemd-sysroot Not tainted 6.19.12-1-default #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) openSUSE Tumbleweed c2dfc3c9d9f6f1233251c5d4410574fe82a348ee Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022 RIP: 0010:ext4_journal_check_start+0x63/0xa0 [ext4] Call Trace: __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x3e/0x180 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1] ext4_xattr_set+0x104/0x150 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1] __vfs_setxattr+0x9a/0xd0 __vfs_setxattr_noperm+0x76/0x1f0 ima_appraise_measurement+0x23e/0xe40 ima_d_path+0x5a/0xd0 process_measurement+0xb29/0xc40 ? copy_from_kernel_nofault+0x21/0xe0 ? fscrypt_file_open+0xc0/0xe0 ? ext4_file_open+0x60/0x490 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1] ? bpf_prog_31efb7c56239148b_restrict_filesystems+0xab/0x126 ? __bpf_prog_exit+0x23/0xd0 ? __bpf_tramp_exit+0xd/0x50 ? bpf_trampoline_6442530367+0x9f/0xea ima_file_check+0x57/0x80 security_file_post_open+0x50/0xf0 path_openat+0x493/0x1650 do_filp_open+0xc7/0x170 Detect the state of the file early and return the error",
    "evidence": "cve:CVE-2026-98885",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "Linux",
          "evidence": "/containers/cna/affected/0/product"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "Linux",
          "evidence": "/containers/cna/affected/1/product"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "unknown",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2026-98885",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2026-98885"
      ],
      "metrics": [],
      "affected": [
        {
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "2f29f880e98bf0087215726c45a485afd15b42cf",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a",
              "lessThan": "69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8",
              "versionType": "git"
            }
          ],
          "programFiles": [
            "security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c"
          ],
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected"
        },
        {
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "3.7"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "lessThan": "3.7",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "5.10.271",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "5.10.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "5.15.222",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "5.15.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.1.189",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.6.158",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.12.111",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.18.53",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*"
            },
            {
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*"
            }
          ],
          "programFiles": [
            "security/integrity/ima/ima_appraise.c"
          ],
          "defaultStatus": "affected"
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-26T06:56:09.404Z",
      "provider": "cve",
      "references": [
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f29f880e98bf0087215726c45a485afd15b42cf",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cna": {
          "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
          "shortName": "Linux",
          "dateUpdated": "2026-10-26T06:56:09.404Z"
        }
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2026-98885",
        "evidence": "/cveMetadata/cveId"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": null
  },
  "source_id": "core-cve",
  "document_id": 263343,
  "published_at": "2026-10-23T11:37:41.736+00:00"
}