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CVE-2026-46294 Linux CVE debrief

CVE-2026-46294 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's device mapper (dm) subsystem. The vulnerability exists in the `retrieve_status` function of `dm-ioctl`. An attacker can cause a buffer overflow by exploiting an alignment feature. However, this vulnerability has no security implications as only root can issue device mapper ioctls and commonly used libraries communicate with device mapper using buffer sizes aligned to 8 bytes.

Vendor
Linux
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-06-08
Original CVE updated
2026-07-23
Advisory published
2026-06-08
Advisory updated
2026-07-23

Who should care

Linux kernel developers and maintainers, Linux distribution vendors, and users of Linux-based systems.

Technical summary

The buffer overflow occurs in the `retrieve_status` function of `dm-ioctl`. The function checks if the output string fits into the output buffer, writes the output string, aligns the `outptr` variable to the next 8-byte boundary, and then iterates a loop that writes more data past the end of the buffer. However, due to the constraints that only root can issue device mapper ioctls and commonly used libraries use buffer sizes aligned to 8 bytes, this vulnerability has no practical security implications.

Defensive priority

Low

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply kernel patches that fix the buffer overflow vulnerability (see resourceLinkAnnotations: ref-4, ref-5, ref-6, ref-7, ref-8, ref-9, ref-10)
  • Restrict access to device mapper ioctls to only root users

Evidence notes

The vulnerability was resolved in various kernel commits (see resourceLinkAnnotations: ref-4, ref-5, ref-6, ref-7, ref-8, ref-9, ref-10).

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-46294 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46294

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-46294 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46294

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2fa49cc884f6496a915c35621ba4da35649bf159

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/448ee8fb79c26a26599ffa4b2adeb4322d3d3d8c

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/526ff9126a0ae087b65726e1faf31114c718020d

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5af6a879e915ae7bcd83695c316ebb32e1c61bc2

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8daa6c708ef524089ae43f2aed9190acb26d7df8

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c8c5311237448f6ffeecc9aec2362e3692623668

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d271631023cbe1cbe7c31a0275ab797883be6e0a

    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.