{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-72204","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2026-08-09T03:40:39.912Z","datePublished":"2026-08-15T05:54:01.070Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-18T06:56:23.160Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-18T06:56:23.160Z"},"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nntfs: centalize $INDEX_ROOT header validation\n\nAdd a dedicated helper to perform stricter validation of $INDEX_ROOT and\nuse it for both directory inodes and named index inodes. This keeps the\nroot size and header geometry checks consistent across both read paths."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":8.4,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - The bug is reached only when the legacy fs/ntfs driver parses a crafted $INDEX_ROOT during mount or local VFS inode load (ntfs_fill_super→ntfs_iget/ntfs_index_iget→ntfs_read_locked_inode or ntfs_read_locked_index_inode); there is no network-facing handler.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls on-disk $INDEX_ROOT header geometry (value_length, entries_offset, index_length, allocated_size), so the missing checks and resulting out-of-bounds access in ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name are reliably triggerable with no race or uncontrollable layout dependency.\nPR:N - The attacker needs no account or capabilities on the victim—only a malicious NTFS image presented via USB, loop device, or dual-boot partition that root, udisks2, or automount loads on their behalf.\nUI:N - On kiosks, desktops, and automotive/embedded systems that automount removable NTFS media, inserting the device alone runs ntfs_fill_super and inode read of directory/index metadata with no further deliberate victim action beyond presenting the volume.\nS:U - Impact is confined to kernel heap parsing within the same OS security authority; this is not a VM escape, IOMMU bypass, or cross-sandbox boundary crossing.\nC:H - Without full header validation, crafted entries_offset/index_length pairs let ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name and inode-read paths read past the resident $INDEX_ROOT value into adjacent kmalloc MFT/slab memory, enabling unbounded kernel information disclosure.\nI:H - The same unchecked header fields drive index entry walks and later RW index memmove/insert paths on a writable mount; attacker-controlled geometry can corrupt heap metadata beyond the resident value, yielding a write primitive suitable for privilege escalation.\nA:H - Out-of-bounds reads of index entries and header fields from malformed $INDEX_ROOT during mount or directory access can fault on unmapped memory and oops/panic the kernel, fully denying availability."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["fs/ntfs/index.c","fs/ntfs/index.h","fs/ntfs/inode.c"],"versions":[{"version":"0a8ac0c1fa0b99a5b29002bc7f232ed7eafddef0","lessThan":"b06730c6af58d3569883f8dd7c36a90aba5ecc0a","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"0a8ac0c1fa0b99a5b29002bc7f232ed7eafddef0","lessThan":"8b97b302f553a480fb76d2afd53cd6c0635a9dcd","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/index.c","fs/ntfs/index.h","fs/ntfs/inode.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/b06730c6af58d3569883f8dd7c36a90aba5ecc0a"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b97b302f553a480fb76d2afd53cd6c0635a9dcd"}],"title":"ntfs: centalize $INDEX_ROOT header validation","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}