CVE-2026-72202
ntfs: avoid heap allocation for free-cluster readahead state
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: avoid heap allocation for free-cluster readahead state get_nr_free_clusters() allocates a temporary file_ra_state before it publishes the precomputed free cluster count, sets NVolFreeClusterKnown(), and wakes vol->free_waitq. If that allocation fails, the worker returns without setting the flag or waking waiters, so callers waiting for the free count can block indefinitely. The readahead state is only used synchronously while scanning the bitmap. Keep it on the stack and pass it by address to the readahead helper. This eliminates the early allocation failure path instead of adding a special case that publishes a conservative count and wakes the waitqueue. Zero-initialize the on-stack state because file_ra_state_init() only sets ra_pages and prev_pos. Apply the same treatment to __get_nr_free_mft_records(), which scans the MFT bitmap with the same short-lived readahead state.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:21 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 18, 2026, 7:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest version.
- Ensure NTFS file system driver is updated.
- Rebuild and deploy the patched kernel.
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-2026-72202.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34 | |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4 |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72202 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-2026-72202
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-2026-72202 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-72202 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.
-
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': '40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': 'c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6251f0b0de7d645e3591931ca4c11d8322c1866f', 'lessThan': '40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6251f0b0de7d645e3591931ca4c11d8322c1866f', 'lessThan': 'c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '7.1'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.1', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': '40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': 'c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': '40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': 'c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': '40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2', 'lessThan': 'c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['fs/ntfs/super.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: avoid heap allocation for free-cluster readahead state get_nr_free_clusters() allocates a temporary file_ra_state before it publishes the precomputed free cluster count, sets NVolFreeClusterKnown(), and wakes vol->free_waitq. If that allocation fails, the worker returns without setting the flag or waking waiters, so callers waiting for the free count can block indefinitely. The readahead state is only used synchronously while scanning the bitmap. Keep it on the stack and pass it by address to the readahead helper. This eliminates the early allocation failure path instead of adding a special case that publishes a conservative count and wakes the waitqueue. Zero-initialize the on-stack state because file_ra_state_init() only sets ra_pages and prev_pos. Apply the same treatment to __get_nr_free_mft_records(), which scans the MFT bitmap with the same short-lived readahead state. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40ee64e633e5e413f2255bb48c063977d8c86f34 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c05132077df57a384919f61d7f8a8e76d748a6d4