CVE-2026-68460 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 08/15/2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
f2fs: fix potential deadlock in f2fs_balance_fs()
When the f2fs filesystem space is nearly exhausted, we encounter deadlock issues as below:
INFO: task A:1890 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Tainted: G O 6.12.41-g3fe07ddf05ab #1 "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. task:A state:D stack:0 pid:1890 tgid:1626 ppid:1153 flags:0x00000204 Call trace: __switch_to+0xf4/0x158 __schedule+0x27c/0x908 schedule+0x3c/0x118 io_schedule+0x44/0x68 folio_wait_bit_common+0x174/0x370 folio_wait_bit+0x20/0x38 folio_wait_writeback+0x54/0xc8 truncate_inode_partial_folio+0x70/0x1e0 truncate_inode_pages_range+0x1b0/0x450 truncate_pagecache+0x54/0x88 f2fs_file_write_iter+0x3e8/0xb80 do_iter_readv_writev+0xf0/0x1e0 vfs_writev+0x138/0x2c8 do_writev+0x88/0x130 __arm64_sys_writev+0x28/0x40 invoke_syscall+0x50/0x120 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xc8/0xf0 do_el0_svc+0x24/0x38 el0_svc+0x30/0xf8 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x120/0x130 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x198
INFO: task kworker/u8:11:2680853 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Tainted: G O 6.12.41-g3fe07ddf05ab #1 "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. task:kworker/u8:11 state:D stack:0 pid:2680853 tgid:2680853 ppid:2 flags:0x00000208 Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-254:0) Call trace: __switch_to+0xf4/0x158 __schedule+0x27c/0x908 schedule+0x3c/0x118 io_schedule+0x44/0x68 folio_wait_bit_common+0x174/0x370 __filemap_get_folio+0x214/0x348 pagecache_get_page+0x20/0x70 f2fs_get_read_data_page+0x150/0x3e8 f2fs_get_lock_data_page+0x2c/0x160 move_data_page+0x50/0x478 do_garbage_collect+0xd38/0x1528 f2fs_gc+0x240/0x7e0 f2fs_balance_fs+0x1a0/0x208 f2fs_write_single_data_page+0x6e4/0x730 f2fs_write_cache_pages+0x378/0x9b0 f2fs_write_data_pages+0x2e4/0x388 do_writepages+0x8c/0x2c8 __writeback_single_inode+0x4c/0x498 writeback_sb_inodes+0x234/0x4a8 __writeback_inodes_wb+0x58/0x118 wb_writeback+0x2f8/0x3c0 wb_workfn+0x2c4/0x508 process_one_work+0x180/0x408 worker_thread+0x258/0x368 kthread+0x118/0x128 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x200
INFO: task kworker/u8:8:2641297 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Tainted: G O 6.12.41-g3fe07ddf05ab #1 "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. task:kworker/u8:8 state:D stack:0 pid:2641297 tgid:2641297 ppid:2 flags:0x00000208 Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-254:0) Call trace: __switch_to+0xf4/0x158 __schedule+0x27c/0x908 rt_mutex_schedule+0x30/0x60 __rt_mutex_slowlock_locked.constprop.0+0x460/0x8a8 rwbase_write_lock+0x24c/0x378 down_write+0x1c/0x30 f2fs_balance_fs+0x184/0x208 f2fs_write_inode+0xf4/0x328 __writeback_single_inode+0x370/0x498 writeback_sb_inodes+0x234/0x4a8 __writeback_inodes_wb+0x58/0x118 wb_writeback+0x2f8/0x3c0 wb_workfn+0x2c4/0x508 process_one_work+0x180/0x408 worker_thread+0x258/0x368 kthread+0x118/0x128 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
INFO: task B:1902 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Tainted: G O 6.12.41-g3fe07ddf05ab #1 "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. task:B state:D stack:0 pid:1902 tgid:1626 ppid:1153 flags:0x0000020c Call trace: __switch_to+0xf4/0x158 __schedule+0x27c/0x908 rt_mutex_schedule+0x30/0x60 __rt_mutex_slowlock_locked.constprop.0+0x460/0x8a8 rwbase_write_lock+0x24c/0x378 down_write+0x1c/0x30 f2fs_balance_fs+0x184/0x208 f2fs_map_blocks+0x94c/0x1110 f2fs_file_write_iter+0x228/0xb80 do_iter_readv_writev+0xf0/0x1e0 vfs_writev+0x138/0x2c8 do_writev+0x88/0x130 __arm64_sys_writev+0x28/0x40 invoke_syscall+0x50/0x120 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xc8/0xf0 do_el0_svc+0x24/0x38 el0_svc+0x30/0xf8 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x120/0x130 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x198
INFO: task sync:2769849 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Tainted: G ---truncated---
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2026
The vulnerability described in this CVE relates to a potential deadlock condition within the f2fs filesystem implementation of the Linux kernel, specifically during the execution of the f2fs_balance_fs() function. This issue manifests when the filesystem space is nearly exhausted, creating a scenario where multiple kernel threads become blocked indefinitely, leading to system unresponsiveness and service disruption. The deadlock occurs due to circular dependency patterns in locking mechanisms that prevent proper resource allocation.
The technical flaw stems from improper synchronization handling within the garbage collection and writeback processes of the f2fs filesystem. When the system approaches capacity limits, the balance_fs function attempts to acquire write locks while already holding read locks, creating a classic deadlock scenario. The call traces reveal multiple threads waiting on different lock types including folio writeback operations, data page locking, and inode writeback mechanisms. The kernel worker threads operating in the writeback workqueue become blocked when trying to perform garbage collection operations that require locks already held by other processes.
This vulnerability directly impacts system stability and availability, particularly affecting embedded systems or devices with limited storage capacity where f2fs filesystems are commonly deployed. The operational impact includes complete system hangs, service timeouts, and potential data loss scenarios during critical write operations. The deadlock conditions prevent normal filesystem operations from proceeding, making the system effectively unusable until manual intervention or system reboot occurs.
The root cause of this issue can be mapped to CWE-367, which addresses Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerabilities and resource management problems in concurrent systems. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1490, representing data destruction through system instability and resource exhaustion. Mitigation strategies should include applying the kernel patch that resolves the locking sequence in f2fs_balance_fs(), implementing proper timeout mechanisms for filesystem operations, and monitoring storage utilization to prevent near-full capacity conditions. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing automated alerts and recovery procedures to detect and respond to such deadlock conditions before they cause complete system outages.