[PATCH v2] ext4: validate xattrs to avoid OOB in ext4_find_inline_entry

From: Raphael Pinsonneault-Thibeault

Date: Wed Nov 12 2025 - 13:59:12 EST


When looking for an entry in an inlined directory, if e_value_offs is
changed underneath the filesystem by some change in the block device, it
will lead to an out-of-bounds access that KASAN detects as a
use-after-free.

This is a similar problem as fixed by
commit c6b72f5d82b1 ("ext4: avoid OOB when system.data xattr changes underneath the filesystem")
whose fix was to call ext4_xattr_ibody_find() right after reading the
inode with ext4_get_inode_loc() to check the validity of the xattrs.

However, ext4_xattr_ibody_find() only checks xattr names, via
xattr_find_entry(), not e_value_offs.

Fix by calling xattr_check_inode() which performs a full check on the
xattrs in inode.

Reported-by: syzbot+3ee481e21fd75e14c397@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=3ee481e21fd75e14c397
Tested-by: syzbot+3ee481e21fd75e14c397@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fixes: 5701875f9609 ("ext4: fix out-of-bound read in ext4_xattr_inode_dec_ref_all()")
Signed-off-by: Raphael Pinsonneault-Thibeault <rpthibeault@xxxxxxxxx>
---
changelog
v1 -> v2: change Fixes tag to reflect that ext4_xattr_ibody_find() used to call
xattr_check_inode() until 5701875f9609.

fs/ext4/inline.c | 7 +++++++
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)

diff --git a/fs/ext4/inline.c b/fs/ext4/inline.c
index 1b094a4f3866..7d46e1e16b52 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inline.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inline.c
@@ -1593,6 +1593,13 @@ struct buffer_head *ext4_find_inline_entry(struct inode *dir,

down_read(&EXT4_I(dir)->xattr_sem);

+ if (EXT4_INODE_HAS_XATTR_SPACE(dir)) {
+ ret = xattr_check_inode(dir, IHDR(dir, ext4_raw_inode(&is.iloc)),
+ ITAIL(dir, ext4_raw_inode(&is.iloc)));
+ if (ret)
+ goto out;
+ }
+
ret = ext4_xattr_ibody_find(dir, &i, &is);
if (ret)
goto out;
--
2.43.0