In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
quota: fix livelock between quotactl and freeze_super
When a filesystem is frozen, quotactl_block() enters a retry loop
waiting for the filesystem to thaw. It acquires s_umount, checks the
freeze state, drops s_umount and uses sb_start_write() - sb_end_write()
pair to wait for the unfreeze.
However, this retry loop can trigger a livelock issue, specifically on
kernels with preemption disabled.
The mechanism is as follows:
1. freeze_super() sets SB_FREEZE_WRITE and calls sb_wait_write().
2. sb_wait_write() calls percpu_down_write(), which initiates
synchronize_rcu().
3. Simultaneously, quotactl_block() spins in its retry loop, immediately
executing the sb_start_write() - sb_end_write() pair.
4. Because the kernel is non-preemptible and the loop contains no
scheduling points, quotactl_block() never yields the CPU. This
prevents that CPU from reaching an RCU quiescent state.
5. synchronize_rcu() in the freezer thread waits indefinitely for the
quotactl_block() CPU to report a quiescent state.
6. quotactl_block() spins indefinitely waiting for the freezer to
advance, which it cannot do as it is blocked on the RCU sync.
This results in a hang of the freezer process and 100% CPU usage by the
quota process.
While this can occur intermittently on multi-core systems, it is
reliably reproducing on a node with the following script, running both
the freezer and the quota toggle on the same CPU:
# mkfs.ext4 -O quota /dev/sda 2g && mkdir a_mount
# mount /dev/sda -o quota,usrquota,grpquota a_mount
# taskset -c 3 bash -c "while true; do xfs_freeze -f a_mount; \
xfs_freeze -u a_mount; done" &
# taskset -c 3 bash -c "while true; do quotaon a_mount; \
quotaoff a_mount; done" &
Adding cond_resched() to the retry loop fixes the issue. It acts as an
RCU quiescent state, allowing synchronize_rcu() in percpu_down_write()
to complete.
References
Configurations
Configuration 1 (hide)
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History
25 Jun 2026, 21:09
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CPE | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| First Time |
Linux linux Kernel
Linux |
|
| CVSS |
v2 : v3 : |
v2 : unknown
v3 : 5.5 |
| CWE | NVD-CWE-noinfo | |
| References | () https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/02bb1500f1479750e6557c8044f6a2d7e9d30c12 - Patch | |
| References | () https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37ccd48cf35f3c8b9f2ea961a7b486b91eb71a82 - Patch | |
| References | () https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/414259caf81a397563fc9baca9c0ef856c4a97cf - Patch | |
| References | () https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/53b2314b26b6640a3657cc924de63a1a8f26ac4d - Patch | |
| References | () https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/77449e453dfc006ad738dec55374c4cbc056fd39 - Patch |
27 May 2026, 14:17
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2026-05-27 14:17
Updated : 2026-06-25 21:09
NVD link : CVE-2026-45895
Mitre link : CVE-2026-45895
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2026-45895
JSON object : View
Products Affected
linux
- linux_kernel
CWE