CVE-2026-80808

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem. This vulnerability occurs in the ext4_xattr_block_set() function, where an indefinite retry loop can be triggered when handling saturated extended attribute (xattr) cache entries, especially in the presence of a corrupted filesystem. A local attacker could exploit this by causing a task to spin in this loop, which holds a lock on the parent directory, thereby blocking other operations like directory removal. This leads to a system hang, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).

This vulnerability is rated as a Moderate impact for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because exploitation requires local access and malformed filesystem structures, resulting solely in a denial of service without compromising system confidentiality or integrity. In standard Red Hat environments, mounting arbitrary or corrupted storage images requires elevated privileges, substantially limiting exposure to unprivileged attackers. If encountered, an unbounded retry condition during extended attribute caching causes a kernel task to spin indefinitely while holding directory locks, hanging dependent filesystem operations.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.