CVE-2026-98215 PUBLISHED

selinux: preserve user SID across nested backing files

Assigner: Linux
Reserved: 25.09.2026 Published: 06.10.2026 Updated: 06.10.2026

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

selinux: preserve user SID across nested backing files

SELinux saves the user file SID in a backing-file security blob so it remains available after mmap() replaces vma->vm_file with a backing file.

For nested backing files (overlayfs over overlayfs, or FUSE passthrough backed by overlayfs), user_file may itself be a backing file. Its fsec->sid is the SID of the mounter that opened it, rather than the user that opened the top-level file. mprotect() then checks fd { use } against the mounter SID. This can incorrectly deny access without a domain transition, or check the wrong target SID after one.

Copy the saved user SID when user_file is a backing file. Keep using the regular file SID for the first backing layer.

With two nested overlayfs mounts and SELinux enforcing, mprotect(PROT_READ) returns EACCES with an fd { use } denial against the mounter SID. With this change, mprotect() succeeds.

Tested on arm64 QEMU with a small BusyBox initramfs and a purpose-built SELinux policy. The original test was also repeated with Fedora Cloud Base 44 userspace and gave the same result.

Product Status

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: unaffected
  • affected from bc6c380c1159de52a252ed11f19a42c47f60a735 to caa1b913d90d5dc07073733326d2af0f0288f089 (excl.)
  • affected from 8bacd09f12c27710228562e4d13163e58c5f4a45 to 6aaeec59aadcd1eafc18b049f1b759fb6b9d9569 (excl.)
  • affected from d844702198395d3f80222777030f69db6be6b709 to 9d99b770e7b67b00bdef9005b928aad13e1d679b (excl.)
  • affected from 82544d36b1729153c8aeb179e84750f0c085d3b1 to ff20d16b2e8230c034e21540043df47222dcc09b (excl.)
  • affected from 82544d36b1729153c8aeb179e84750f0c085d3b1 to 8c0c602202b9a4909b00bc3354e3c0355bc69e65 (excl.)
  • Version cd0e707a927a70cdfd8bc5a512a9719a87f5ed51 is affected
  • affected from 6.6.144 to 6.6.158 (excl.)
  • affected from 6.12.95 to 6.12.112 (excl.)
  • affected from 6.18.38 to 6.18.54 (excl.)
  • affected from 7.0.4 to 7.1 (excl.)
Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: affected
  • Version 7.1 is affected
  • unaffected from 0 to 7.1 (excl.)
  • unaffected from 6.6.158 to 6.6.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.12.112 to 6.12.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.18.54 to 6.18.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.2.8 to 7.2.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.3-rc4 to * (incl.)

References