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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2026-72353: ntfs: avoid stale runlist element dereference in fallocate

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.50% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 3dd3e43f17cda174009a51fe668046ed7afef46a, 88496c4ac5a6ade75619f4b1015706a8b924d50a.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 3dd3e43f17cda174009a51fe668046ed7afef46a, 88496c4ac5a6ade75619f4b1015706a8b924d50a or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: avoid stale runlist element dereference in fallocate ntfs_attr_fallocate() allocates holes and delayed allocations inside initialized size by looking up the current runlist element under ni->runlist.lock. The returned struct runlist_element is only a borrowed pointer into ni->runlist.rl. A writer can replace and free that array after the read lock is dropped, so later reads of rl->lcn, rl->length and rl->vcn can touch freed memory. The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the order within that path: ntfs_attr_fallocate(): 1. Take ni->runlist.lock for read. 2. Get rl from ntfs_attr_find_vcn_nolock(). 3. Drop ni->runlist.lock. 4. Read rl->lcn, rl->length and rl->vcn. mmap page_mkwrite: 1. Enter ntfs_filemap_page_mkwrite(). 2. Reach __ntfs_write_iomap_begin() and ntfs_attr_map_cluster(). 3. Merge allocation state with ntfs_runlists_merge(). 4. Reallocate ni->runlist.rl in ntfs_rl_realloc(), freeing the old array. Validation reproduced this kernel report: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x66/0xa0 print_report+0xce/0x630 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? __virt_addr_valid+0x20d/0x410 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ? lock_acquire+0x2b8/0x2f0 ? __pfx_ntfs_attr_fallocate+0x10/0x10 ? 0xffffffffc0000095 ? down_write+0x10d/0x1e0 ntfs_fallocate+0x5c9/0x1d00 ? __pfx_ntfs_fallocate+0x10/0x10 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? lock_acquire+0x2b8/0x2f0 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? selinux_file_permission+0x3a7/0x510 vfs_fallocate+0x29d/0xd30 __x64_sys_fallocate+0xc7/0x150 ? do_syscall_64+0x81/0x6a0 do_syscall_64+0x115/0x6a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Allocated by task 410: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 __kasan_kmalloc+0xaa/0xb0 __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x353/0x920 ntfs_rl_realloc+0x3f/0x110 ntfs_runlists_merge+0xaa3/0x3010 ntfs_attr_map_cluster+0x4e5/0xf80 ntfs_attr_fallocate+0x53f/0xd00 ntfs_fallocate+0x5c9/0x1d00 vfs_fallocate+0x29d/0xd30 __x64_sys_fallocate+0xc7/0x150 do_syscall_64+0x115/0x6a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Freed by task 424: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60 __kasan_slab_free+0x5f/0x80 kfree+0x307/0x580 ntfs_rl_realloc+0x6f/0x110 ntfs_runlists_merge+0x7b1/0x3010 ntfs_attr_map_cluster+0x4e5/0xf80 __ntfs_write_iomap_begin+0x8cd/0x2280 iomap_iter+0x6de/0x11e0 iomap_page_mkwrite+0x391/0x650 ntfs_filemap_page_mkwrite+0x1ac/0x400 do_page_mkwrite+0x15c/0x280 __handle_mm_fault+0xd6d/0x1ca0 handle_mm_fault+0x19c/0x470 do_user_addr_fault+0x23b/0x9c0 exc_page_fault+0x5c/0xc0 asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30 Fix this by copying the needed runlist fields while the read lock is still held and using only those scalar snapshots after unlocking. After the snapshot, ntfs_attr_map_cluster() can also find that the range is already mapped and return balloc=false. Only call ntfs_dio_zero_range() when new clusters were allocated, matching the write iomap path and preserving the zero-newly-allocated-holes behavior.

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 17, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 43th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

35

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · Linux
8.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 7.1affected
    • 495e90fa334828d4119061e2726af51d0a0fb4ed and later · before 3dd3e43f17cda174009a51fe668046ed7afef46aaffected · git
    • 495e90fa334828d4119061e2726af51d0a0fb4ed and later · before 88496c4ac5a6ade75619f4b1015706a8b924d50aaffected · git
    • before 7.1not affected · semver
    • 7.1.5 and later · up to and including 7.1.*not affected · semver
    • 7.2 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:14linuxbefore 7.1.5-17.1.5-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-72344Aug 15, 2026 · net/mlx5e: TC, skip peer flow cleanup when LAG seq is unavailable
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-72346Aug 15, 2026 · platform/x86: bitland-mifs-wmi: Fix NULL pointer dereference during suspend/resume
    0Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-72354Aug 15, 2026 · ntfs: avoid stale runlist element dereference in MFT writeback
    35Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux3dd3e43f17cda174009a51fe668046ed7afef46aVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux88496c4ac5a6ade75619f4b1015706a8b924d50aVendor (CNA)
debian:linux7.1.5-1 · Debian:14Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

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 researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

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

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet 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
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records