CVE-2026-72478

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: add bounds check to run_get_highest_vcn() run_get_highest_vcn() parses a packed NTFS mapping-pairs buffer without any length bound, relying solely on a 0x00 terminator to stop. A crafted $LogFile UpdateMappingPairs record whose embedded attribute contains mapping-pairs runs without a terminator causes the function to read past the slab allocation, triggering a KASAN slab-out-of-bounds read on mount. The sibling function run_unpack() received an analogous bounds-check in commit b62567bca474 ("ntfs3: add buffer boundary checks to run_unpack()"), but run_get_highest_vcn() was missed. Take a run_buf_size parameter and reject any run header whose payload would extend past the buffer end, mirroring the pattern used by run_unpack(). The caller in fslog.c passes the remaining attribute bytes after the mapping-pairs offset. KASAN report (on mainline v7.1 merge window HEAD): BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in run_get_highest_vcn+0x3c0/0x410 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88800e2d5400 by task mount/72 Call Trace: run_get_highest_vcn+0x3c0/0x410 do_action.isra.0+0x3ba8/0x7b50 log_replay+0x9ddd/0x10200 ntfs_loadlog_and_replay+0x4ad/0x610 ntfs_fill_super+0x214a/0x4540

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, 5.15.209, 7.0.4, 7.1 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.1.175 ≥ 6.6.140 ≥ 6.12.86 ≥ 6.18.27 ≥ 5.15.209 ≥ 7.0.4 ≥ 7.1
Fixed in
✓ 6.1.178 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.145 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.97 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.40 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72478?

    CVE-2026-72478 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.1.175 onward and has been patched in 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97 and others. CVE-2026-72478 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72478?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72478 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.1.175 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72478 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72478 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.