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CVE-2026-72185 (GCVE-0-2026-72185)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-08-15 05:53 – Updated: 2026-08-17 05:41
VLAI
Title
ntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock()
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() When ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() needs to look up the attribute extent containing a target VCN (ctx_needs_reset == true), it calls ntfs_attr_lookup() and then expects the result to be a non-resident attribute, since only non-resident attributes have a mapping pairs array to decompress. A crafted NTFS image can place a resident attribute where a non-resident one is expected, causing ntfs_attr_lookup() to succeed but return a resident attribute record. Previously this was caught only by a WARN_ON(), which does not stop execution. The code then falls through to read a->data.non_resident.highest_vcn from what is actually a resident attribute, accessing the wrong union member and corrupting the VCN range check. The caller path triggering this warning during mount is: ntfs_map_runlist_nolock ntfs_empty_logfile load_system_files ntfs_fill_super In this path ctx is NULL, so ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() allocates a temporary search context internally and sets ctx_needs_reset = true. The existing resident-attribute guard in the ctx != NULL branch already returns -EIO silently for the same condition; make the ctx_needs_reset path consistent by replacing the WARN_ON() with the same -EIO error return. This causes the crafted image to be rejected with a mount error instead of triggering a kernel warning.
Severity
9.8 (Critical)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 495e90fa334828d4119061e2726af51d0a0fb4ed , < b397b1238a217264bb02f963a1a1eadf71906375 (git)
Affected: 495e90fa334828d4119061e2726af51d0a0fb4ed , < b8d6c528e9d57d263fee1a648409f84a68b2561d (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 7.1
Unaffected: 0 , < 7.1 (semver)
Unaffected: 7.1.5 , ≤ 7.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/ntfs/attrib.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "495e90fa334828d4119061e2726af51d0a0fb4ed",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
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              "versionType": "git"
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          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
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          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
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              "version": "7.1"
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              "status": "unaffected",
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            {
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.1.5",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "7.1",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.2",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "7.1",
                  "vulnerable": true
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              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
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      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock()\n\nWhen ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() needs to look up the attribute extent\ncontaining a target VCN (ctx_needs_reset == true), it calls\nntfs_attr_lookup() and then expects the result to be a non-resident\nattribute, since only non-resident attributes have a mapping pairs\narray to decompress.\n\nA crafted NTFS image can place a resident attribute where a non-resident\none is expected, causing ntfs_attr_lookup() to succeed but return a\nresident attribute record.  Previously this was caught only by a\nWARN_ON(), which does not stop execution.  The code then falls through to\nread a-\u003edata.non_resident.highest_vcn from what is actually a resident\nattribute, accessing the wrong union member and corrupting the VCN range\ncheck.\n\nThe caller path triggering this warning during mount is:\n\n  ntfs_map_runlist_nolock\n  ntfs_empty_logfile\n  load_system_files\n  ntfs_fill_super\n\nIn this path ctx is NULL, so ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() allocates a\ntemporary search context internally and sets ctx_needs_reset = true.\nThe existing resident-attribute guard in the ctx != NULL branch already\nreturns -EIO silently for the same condition; make the ctx_needs_reset\npath consistent by replacing the WARN_ON() with the same -EIO error\nreturn.\n\nThis causes the crafted image to be rejected with a mount error instead\nof triggering a kernel warning."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 9.8,
            "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:N - The bug is in fs/ntfs runlist mapping reached from ntfs_fill_super\u2192ntfs_empty_logfile on mount and from VFS read/iomap paths (ntfs_attr_vcn_to_rl\u2192ntfs_map_runlist_nolock); when a classic NTFS volume is exported via ksmbd or nfsd, a remote client read triggers the same mapping code on the server without local shell access.\nAC:L - An attacker fully controls the crafted NTFS image: placing a resident $DATA extent where a non-resident one is expected makes ntfs_attr_lookup() succeed, bypasses the old WARN_ON-only guard, and deterministically drives the wrong union reads and mapping-pairs decompression with no races or victim-specific memory layout.\nPR:N - Exploitation needs only a malicious NTFS image and access to have it parsed\u2014no root on the target\u2014via udev/systemd automount of attacker USB media, CAP_SYS_ADMIN mount of a loop image, or a remote ksmbd/nfsd client with guest/anonymous read (or write) on an already-exported NTFS share.\nUI:N - Once the crafted volume is mounted (automounter, admin, or server export), a single attacker-initiated mount or remote file read that maps an affected non-resident extent triggers the bug; no further victim clicks, prompts, or confirmation are required beyond supplying the image.\nS:U - Union confusion and forged runlist handling corrupt kernel heap metadata and can issue attacker-influenced block-device writes within the same host OS security domain; impact is local privilege escalation or disk corruption, not VM/hypervisor, IOMMU, or container sandbox escape.\nC:H - WARN_ON does not stop execution; the code reads non_resident.highest_vcn and mapping_pairs_offset from a resident attribute union, then ntfs_mapping_pairs_decompress() scans attacker-controlled bytes as mapping pairs, yielding out-of-bounds kernel reads and disclosure/corruption primitives beyond a simple warning.\nI:H - Successful decompression installs an attacker-forged runlist; on rw mount ntfs_empty_logfile() uses those LCNs to write 0xff-filled clusters via ntfs_bdev_write() to arbitrary disk offsets, and heap runlist allocation from forged mapping pairs enables arbitrary kernel memory corruption and potential control-flow hijack.\nA:H - The vulnerable path continues after WARN_ON instead of returning -EIO, so malformed mapping-pair decompression and use of a corrupted runlist can provoke kernel warnings, I/O errors, oops, or panic during mount or subsequent NTFS I/O, causing high availability impact even when full exploitation is not attempted."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:41:15.234Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b397b1238a217264bb02f963a1a1eadf71906375"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b8d6c528e9d57d263fee1a648409f84a68b2561d"
        }
      ],
      "title": "ntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock()",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-72185",
    "datePublished": "2026-08-15T05:53:47.388Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-08-09T03:40:39.911Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:41:15.234Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2026-72185",
      "date": "2026-09-19",
      "epss": "0.00626",
      "percentile": "0.48598"
    },
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
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                "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
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                ],
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                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
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                    "versionType": "git"
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                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
                  {
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                    "version": "7.1"
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                    "versionType": "semver"
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                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock()\n\nWhen ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() needs to look up the attribute extent\ncontaining a target VCN (ctx_needs_reset == true), it calls\nntfs_attr_lookup() and then expects the result to be a non-resident\nattribute, since only non-resident attributes have a mapping pairs\narray to decompress.\n\nA crafted NTFS image can place a resident attribute where a non-resident\none is expected, causing ntfs_attr_lookup() to succeed but return a\nresident attribute record.  Previously this was caught only by a\nWARN_ON(), which does not stop execution.  The code then falls through to\nread a-\u003edata.non_resident.highest_vcn from what is actually a resident\nattribute, accessing the wrong union member and corrupting the VCN range\ncheck.\n\nThe caller path triggering this warning during mount is:\n\n  ntfs_map_runlist_nolock\n  ntfs_empty_logfile\n  load_system_files\n  ntfs_fill_super\n\nIn this path ctx is NULL, so ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() allocates a\ntemporary search context internally and sets ctx_needs_reset = true.\nThe existing resident-attribute guard in the ctx != NULL branch already\nreturns -EIO silently for the same condition; make the ctx_needs_reset\npath consistent by replacing the WARN_ON() with the same -EIO error\nreturn.\n\nThis causes the crafted image to be rejected with a mount error instead\nof triggering a kernel warning."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-72185",
        "lastModified": "2026-08-17T06:18:19.080",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "NETWORK",
                "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                "baseScore": 9.8,
                "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "NONE",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "NONE",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
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              "impactScore": 5.9,
              "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
              "type": "Secondary"
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          ]
        },
        "published": "2026-08-15T06:21:36.870",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b397b1238a217264bb02f963a1a1eadf71906375"
          },
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b8d6c528e9d57d263fee1a648409f84a68b2561d"
          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "vulnStatus": "Received"
      }
    },
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-18T10:12:15+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-72185",
      "id": "CVE-2026-72185",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-08-15T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: ntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock()",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-72185.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-09-10T02:08:32Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-72185",
      "id": "CVE-2026-72185",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-08-21T00:42:51Z",
      "product_status:known_affected": "333",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "29",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2026-72185",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/cve-2026-72185.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}



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