MEDIUM CVSS 5.5
Published: 2026-05-06

CVE-2026-43118

linux linux_kernel Security Advisory (CVE-2026-43118)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-43118 impacting linux linux_kernel. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix zero size inode with non-zero size after log replay When logging that an inode exists, as part of logging a new name or logging new dir entries for a directory, we always set the generation of the logged inode item to 0. This is to signal during log replay (in overwrite_item()), that we should not set the i_size since we only logged that an inode exists, so the i_size of the inode in the subvolume tree must be preserved (as when we log new names or that an inode exists, we don't log extents). This works fine except when we have already logged an inode in full mode or it's the first time we are logging an inode created in a past transaction, that inode has a new i_size of 0 and then we log a new name for the inode (due to a new hardlink or a rename), in which case we log an i_size of 0 for the inode and a generation of 0, which causes the log replay code to not update the inode's i_size to 0 (in overwrite_item()). An example scenario: mkdir /mnt/dir xfs_io -f -c "pwrite 0 64K" /mnt/dir/foo sync xfs_io -c "truncate 0" -c "fsync" /mnt/dir/foo ln /mnt/dir/foo /mnt/dir/bar xfs_io -c "fsync" /mnt/dir <power fail> After log replay the file remains with a size of 64K. This is because when we first log the inode, when we fsync file foo, we log its current i_size of 0, and then when we create a hard link we log again the inode in exists mode (LOG_INODE_EXISTS) but we set a generation of 0 for the inode item we add to the log tree, so during log replay overwrite_item() sees that the generation is 0 and i_size is 0 so we skip updating the inode's i_size from 64K to 0. Fix this by making sure at fill_inode_item() we always log the real generation of the inode if it was logged in the current transaction with the i_size we logged before. Also if an inode created in a previous transaction is logged in exists mode only, make sure we log the i_size stored in the inode item located from the commit root, so that if we log multiple times that the inode exists we get the correct i_size. A test case for fstests will follow soon.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product linux / linux_kernel
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration NVD-CWE-noinfo

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-43118 impacting linux linux_kernel.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-43118.yaml
id: cve-2026-43118

info:
  name: linux linux_kernel - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-43118 affecting linux linux_kernel.
    Evaluation: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

btrfs: fix zero size inode with non-zero size after log replay

When logging that...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-43118
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 5.5
    cve-id: CVE-2026-43118
    cwe-id: NVD-CWE-noinfo
  tags: cve,cve-2026-43118,linux,linux_kernel,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "linux_kernel"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-43118.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-43118
# Target: linux linux_kernel | CVSS: 5.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-43118 (linux linux_kernel)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against linux linux_kernel scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-43118.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-43118
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install linux_kernel 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade linux_kernel 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update linux_kernel

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i linux_kernel 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i linux_kernel

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-43118 in linux linux_kernel?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update linux linux_kernel packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-43118?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-43118?

CVE-2026-43118 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-43118
Weakness NVD-CWE-noinfo
Vendor linux
Product linux_kernel
Published 2026-05-06
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H