CVE-2026-72185

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: fix WARN_ON for resident attribute in ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() When ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() needs to look up the attribute extent containing a target VCN (ctx_needs_reset == true), it calls ntfs_attr_lookup() and then expects the result to be a non-resident attribute, since only non-resident attributes have a mapping pairs array to decompress. A crafted NTFS image can place a resident attribute where a non-resident one is expected, causing ntfs_attr_lookup() to succeed but return a resident attribute record. Previously this was caught only by a WARN_ON(), which does not stop execution. The code then falls through to read a->data.non_resident.highest_vcn from what is actually a resident attribute, accessing the wrong union member and corrupting the VCN range check. The caller path triggering this warning during mount is: ntfs_map_runlist_nolock ntfs_empty_logfile load_system_files ntfs_fill_super In this path ctx is NULL, so ntfs_map_runlist_nolock() allocates a temporary search context internally and sets ctx_needs_reset = true. The existing resident-attribute guard in the ctx != NULL branch already returns -EIO silently for the same condition; make the ctx_needs_reset path consistent by replacing the WARN_ON() with the same -EIO error return. This causes the crafted image to be rejected with a mount error instead of triggering a kernel warning.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 7.1 and later are affected. Fixed in 7.1.5, 7.2-rc3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 7.1
Fixed in
✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72185?

    CVE-2026-72185 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 7.1 onward and has been patched in 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc3. CVE-2026-72185 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72185?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72185 has been patched. Fixed versions include 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc3. If you are running Linux kernel 7.1 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72185 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72185 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.