CVE-2023-54077
fs/ntfs3: Fix memory leak if ntfs_read_mft failed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Fix memory leak if ntfs_read_mft failed Label ATTR_ROOT in ntfs_read_mft() sets is_root = true and ni->ni_flags |= NI_FLAG_DIR, then next attr will goto label ATTR_ALLOC and alloc ni->dir.alloc_run. However two states are not always consistent and can make memory leak. 1) attr_name in ATTR_ROOT does not fit the condition it will set is_root = true but NI_FLAG_DIR is not set. 2) next attr_name in ATTR_ALLOC fits the condition and alloc ni->dir.alloc_run 3) in cleanup function ni_clear(), when NI_FLAG_DIR is set, it frees ni->dir.alloc_run, otherwise it frees ni->file.run 4) because NI_FLAG_DIR is not set in this case, ni->dir.alloc_run is leaked as kmemleak reported: unreferenced object 0xffff888003bc5480 (size 64): backtrace: [<000000003d42e6b0>] __kmalloc_node+0x4e/0x1c0 [<00000000d8e19b8a>] kvmalloc_node+0x39/0x1f0 [<00000000fc3eb5b8>] run_add_entry+0x18a/0xa40 [ntfs3] [<0000000011c9f978>] run_unpack+0x75d/0x8e0 [ntfs3] [<00000000e7cf1819>] run_unpack_ex+0xbc/0x500 [ntfs3] [<00000000bbf0a43d>] ntfs_iget5+0xb25/0x2dd0 [ntfs3] [<00000000a6e50693>] ntfs_fill_super+0x218d/0x3580 [ntfs3] [<00000000b9170608>] get_tree_bdev+0x3fb/0x710 [<000000004833798a>] vfs_get_tree+0x8e/0x280 [<000000006e20b8e6>] path_mount+0xf3c/0x1930 [<000000007bf15a5f>] do_mount+0xf3/0x110 ... Fix this by always setting is_root and NI_FLAG_DIR together.
INFO
Published Date :
Dec. 24, 2025, 1:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Dec. 24, 2025, 1:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2023-54077
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version.
- Apply the provided patch for the ntfs3 module.
- Ensure is_root and NI_FLAG_DIR flags are always synchronized.
- Verify memory management in the ntfs3 filesystem.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2023-54077.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-54077 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-54077
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2023-54077 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2023-54077 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Dec. 24, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Fix memory leak if ntfs_read_mft failed Label ATTR_ROOT in ntfs_read_mft() sets is_root = true and ni->ni_flags |= NI_FLAG_DIR, then next attr will goto label ATTR_ALLOC and alloc ni->dir.alloc_run. However two states are not always consistent and can make memory leak. 1) attr_name in ATTR_ROOT does not fit the condition it will set is_root = true but NI_FLAG_DIR is not set. 2) next attr_name in ATTR_ALLOC fits the condition and alloc ni->dir.alloc_run 3) in cleanup function ni_clear(), when NI_FLAG_DIR is set, it frees ni->dir.alloc_run, otherwise it frees ni->file.run 4) because NI_FLAG_DIR is not set in this case, ni->dir.alloc_run is leaked as kmemleak reported: unreferenced object 0xffff888003bc5480 (size 64): backtrace: [<000000003d42e6b0>] __kmalloc_node+0x4e/0x1c0 [<00000000d8e19b8a>] kvmalloc_node+0x39/0x1f0 [<00000000fc3eb5b8>] run_add_entry+0x18a/0xa40 [ntfs3] [<0000000011c9f978>] run_unpack+0x75d/0x8e0 [ntfs3] [<00000000e7cf1819>] run_unpack_ex+0xbc/0x500 [ntfs3] [<00000000bbf0a43d>] ntfs_iget5+0xb25/0x2dd0 [ntfs3] [<00000000a6e50693>] ntfs_fill_super+0x218d/0x3580 [ntfs3] [<00000000b9170608>] get_tree_bdev+0x3fb/0x710 [<000000004833798a>] vfs_get_tree+0x8e/0x280 [<000000006e20b8e6>] path_mount+0xf3c/0x1930 [<000000007bf15a5f>] do_mount+0xf3/0x110 ... Fix this by always setting is_root and NI_FLAG_DIR together. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1bc6bb657dfb0ab3b94ef6d477ca241bf7b6ec06 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3030f2b9b3329db3948c1a145a5493ca6f617d50 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3bb0d3eb475f01744ce6d6e998dfbd80220852a1 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93bf79f989688852deade1550fb478b0a4d8daa8 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfa434c60157c9793e9b12c9b68ade02aff9f803