---
id: CVE-2026-98885
title: 'ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed

  During early boot, the filesystem is read-only and any changes
  to xattrs are not allowed. This fails in case of…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    2f29f880e98bf0087215726c45a485afd15b42cf
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8
  - Linux < 5.10.271
  - Linux < 5.15.222
  - Linux < 6.1.189
  - Linux < 6.6.158
  - Linux < 6.12.111
  - Linux < 6.18.53
  - Linux (all versions)
published: '2026-10-23'
updated: '2026-10-23'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-23T11:37:41.736Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98885'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f29f880e98bf0087215726c45a485afd15b42cf'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8'
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-23T13:24:55.579Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed

During early boot, the filesystem is read-only and any changes
to xattrs are not allowed. This fails in case of ext4 because
changing xattr starts an ext4 transaction which fails with the
following warning.

WARNING: fs/ext4/ext4_jbd2.c:75 at ext4_journal_check_start+0x63/0xa0 [ext4], CPU#1: systemd-sysroot/561
CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 561 Comm: systemd-sysroot Not tainted 6.19.12-1-default #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) openSUSE Tumbleweed  c2dfc3c9d9f6f1233251c5d4410574fe82a348ee
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS unknown 02/02/2022
RIP: 0010:ext4_journal_check_start+0x63/0xa0 [ext4]
Call Trace:
  __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x3e/0x180 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1]
  ext4_xattr_set+0x104/0x150 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1]
  __vfs_setxattr+0x9a/0xd0
  __vfs_setxattr_noperm+0x76/0x1f0
  ima_appraise_measurement+0x23e/0xe40
  ima_d_path+0x5a/0xd0
  process_measurement+0xb29/0xc40
  ? copy_from_kernel_nofault+0x21/0xe0
  ? fscrypt_file_open+0xc0/0xe0
  ? ext4_file_open+0x60/0x490 [ext4 6d025f3bc52c89a957b89a89d211fadf5e9434e1]
  ? bpf_prog_31efb7c56239148b_restrict_filesystems+0xab/0x126
  ? __bpf_prog_exit+0x23/0xd0
  ? __bpf_tramp_exit+0xd/0x50
  ? bpf_trampoline_6442530367+0x9f/0xea
  ima_file_check+0x57/0x80
  security_file_post_open+0x50/0xf0
  path_openat+0x493/0x1650
  do_filp_open+0xc7/0x170

Detect the state of the file early and return the error.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < 86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < 4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < 8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < 2f29f880e98bf0087215726c45a485afd15b42cf`
- `Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 < 69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8`
- `Linux < 5.10.271`
- `Linux < 5.15.222`
- `Linux < 6.1.189`
- `Linux < 6.6.158`
- `Linux < 6.12.111`
- `Linux < 6.18.53`
- `Linux (all versions)`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.