{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-72188","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2026-08-09T03:40:39.911Z","datePublished":"2026-08-15T05:53:49.593Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:41:17.414Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:41:17.414Z"},"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name()\n\nntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() returns MFT references read from directory\nindex entries on disk. These values are untrusted, but the function can\ncurrently return an error-marked MFT reference to its callers without\nvalidating it.\n\nCallers later decode lookup failures with MREF_ERR(). A crafted NTFS image\ncan set the MREF error bit while leaving the low bits as an arbitrary\nvalue, causing callers to consume a bogus pseudo-errno instead of treating\nthe lookup result as corrupted on-disk metadata.\n\nFix this at the source by normalizing every error-marked MFT reference\nreturned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() to ERR_MREF(-EIO). Apply this to\nall four directory lookup return paths so every caller gets a validated\nresult without needing additional checks or an API change.\n\nThis keeps the sanitization in the common lookup helper, which is cleaner\nthan duplicating validation in each caller."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H","baseScore":9.1,"baseSeverity":"CRITICAL"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:N - fs/ntfs registers ntfs_export_ops; remote nfsd/ksmbd LOOKUP/OPEN/stat on an exported crafted NTFS volume reaches ntfs_lookup→ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name parsing attacker-controlled INDX indexed_file values without local shell access.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls on-disk directory index indexed_file MFT references and can set the ERR_MREF error bit with arbitrary low bits; decoding the forged pseudo-errno via MREF_ERR() is deterministic from a crafted image with no race or external timing.\nPR:N - Triggering needs only a malicious NTFS image (USB, loop, dual-boot disk) mounted by the host or lookup access to exported NTFS paths via NFS/SMB; no init-namespace root or CAP_SYS_ADMIN is required on the code path that consumes the bogus errno.\nUI:N - fill_super mount-time lookups (hiberfil.sys, $Quota) and subsequent local or remote path lookups call ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name as soon as the crafted volume is mounted or exported, without further per-attack cooperation beyond volume presentation.\nS:U - Forged errno handling perturbs VFS lookup and mount safety decisions within the host kernel/filesystem authority only; this is standard filesystem parsing abuse, not a VM escape, IOMMU bypass, or cross-security-boundary scope change.\nC:N - The flaw only mis-decodes error-marked MFT references into attacker-chosen errno values returned to callers; there is no out-of-bounds read, use-after-free, or other kernel memory disclosure primitive.\nI:H - Spoofing -ENOENT via error-bit indexed_file can add negative dentries for present index entries and make check_windows_hibernation_status/load_and_init_quota treat hiberfil.sys/$Quota as absent, bypassing hibernation/quota guards and permitting rw corruption of live Windows hibernation and NTFS metadata.\nA:H - Hibernation-check bypass allows rw I/O on a suspended Windows volume, corrupting hiberfil.sys and preventing resume; forged lookup errnos also leave persistent negative-cache and index inconsistencies that can render the volume or dependent OS unusable."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["fs/ntfs/dir.c"],"versions":[{"version":"1e9ea7e04472d4e5e12e58c881eaacfb3e49b669","lessThan":"83f396d881c4fd312c7fd5fff2c157fc21104464","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"1e9ea7e04472d4e5e12e58c881eaacfb3e49b669","lessThan":"d97a36bae86a9a4021562ded2987f904e6bcb1d7","status":"affected","versionType":"git"}]},{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["fs/ntfs/dir.c"],"versions":[{"version":"7.1","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","lessThan":"7.1","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.1.5","lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"7.1","versionEndExcluding":"7.1.5"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"7.1","versionEndExcluding":"7.2"}]}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83f396d881c4fd312c7fd5fff2c157fc21104464"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d97a36bae86a9a4021562ded2987f904e6bcb1d7"}],"title":"ntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name()","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}