ntfs-3g: Modprobe influence vulnerability via environment variables
Jann Horn of Google Project Zero discovered that NTFS-3G, a read-write NTFS driver for FUSE, does not scrub the environment before executing modprobe with elevated privileges. A local user can take advantage of this flaw for local root privilege escalation.
- Published
- Apr 13, 2018
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.2% · 82th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-269
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.2%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- proof of concept
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| tuxera | ntfs-3g | cpe:2.3:a:tuxera:ntfs-3g |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- debian debian linux8.0
- tuxera ntfs-3gup to 2016.2.22 inclusive
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (debian). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
ntfs-3g ntfs-3g
- n/aaffected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | ntfs-3g | before 1:2016.2.22AR.1-4 | 1:2016.2.22AR.1-4 |
| Debian:7 | ntfs-3g | before 1:2012.1.15AR.5-2.1+deb7u3 | 1:2012.1.15AR.5-2.1+deb7u3 |
| Debian:8 | ntfs-3g | before 1:2014.2.15AR.2-1+deb8u3 | 1:2014.2.15AR.2-1+deb8u3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | ntfs-3g_ntfsprogs | before 2013.1.13-5.3.1 | 2013.1.13-5.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | ntfs-3g | before 2011.4.12-0.9.3.1 | 2011.4.12-0.9.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | ntfs-3g_ntfsprogs | before 2021.8.22-5.9.1 | 2021.8.22-5.9.1 |
Same product
tuxera: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-40706In NTFS-3G 2022.10.3 before 2026.2.25, a heap buffer overflow exists in ntfs_build_permissions_posix() in acls.c that allows an attacker to 33Monitor
- CVE-2022-40284A buffer overflow was discovered in NTFS-3G before 2022.10.3.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-30789A crafted NTFS image can cause a heap-based buffer overflow in ntfs_check_log_client_array in NTFS-3G through 2021.8.22.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-30788A crafted NTFS image can cause a heap-based buffer overflow in ntfs_mft_rec_alloc in NTFS-3G through 2021.8.22.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-30786A crafted NTFS image can cause a heap-based buffer overflow in ntfs_names_full_collate in NTFS-3G through 2021.8.22.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-30784A crafted NTFS image can cause heap exhaustion in ntfs_get_attribute_value in NTFS-3G through 2021.8.22.31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:ntfs-3g | 1:2016.2.22AR.1-4 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:ntfs-3g | 2011.4.12-0.9.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:ntfs-3g_ntfsprogs | 2013.1.13-5.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×1
- Exploit-DB entry ×2
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2017-02-03 |
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2017-02-14 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/linux/local/ntfs3g_priv_escDebian/Ubuntu ntfs-3g Local Privilege Escalationexploit | 2017-01-05 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2022-04-12 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-463 d
- First PoC-434 d
- Published
- TodaySep 30, 2026+3092 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Jann HornGoogle
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege ManagementCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-secondary
Root cause
To simplify setup, a service account is granted broad, cluster-wide permissions. The principle of least privilege is skipped during installation.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-269 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
kind: ClusterRolerules: - apiGroups: ["*"] resources: ["*"] verbs: ["*"]Fixed
kind: Rolemetadata: namespace: lodos-systemrules: - apiGroups: ["apps"] resources: ["deployments"] verbs: ["get", "list", "update"]Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/04/1
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/95987
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-10
- www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3780
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.