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selinux: preserve user SID across nested backing files

Published Oct 6, 2026

Description

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.

Affected products

Remediation

No remediation recorded yet.

Weaknesses (0)

No CWE recorded.

References (6)

Change history (0)

No recorded changes yet.

Sources

CVE.org / MITRE

Status PUBLISHED
Assigner Linux
Published Oct 6, 2026
Updated Oct 6, 2026
Reserved Sep 25, 2026

CISA Vulnrichment

No data

NVD

Status Received
Modified Oct 6, 2026

Red Hat

No data

ENISA EUVD

Assigner Linux
Published Oct 6, 2026
Updated Oct 6, 2026

GitHub

No data