VulnerabilityPublished 18 Mar 2026Updated 10 Nov 2026

CVE-2025-71265: Linux kernel · fs: ntfs3: fix infinite loop in attr_load_runs_range on inconsistent metadata

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 10 Nov 2026, 13:03 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b, af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38, a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 10 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b	Fixed in c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38	Fixed in af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b	Fixed in a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < 78b61f7eac37a63284774b147f38dd0be6cad43c	Fixed in 78b61f7eac37a63284774b147f38dd0be6cad43c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < 6f07a590616ff5f57f7c041d98e463fad9e9f763	Fixed in 6f07a590616ff5f57f7c041d98e463fad9e9f763
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074, < 4b90f16e4bb5607fb35e7802eb67874038da4640	Fixed in 4b90f16e4bb5607fb35e7802eb67874038da4640

AI-suggested

A patch is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel. Users should update to a fixed kernel version containing the patch identified by the provided commit hashes. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, applying the official kernel update is the recommended remediation. No additional mitigations are indicated.

Description

CVE-2025-71265 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ntfs3 file system driver that causes an infinite loop when processing inconsistent NTFS metadata. A malformed NTFS image with conflicting attribute headers can trigger this condition, leading to a Denial-of-Service (DoS). The issue arises because the code incorrectly handles empty run lists in corrupted metadata, causing an uninitialized data structure and an infinite loop during run lookup. A patch has been released that adds a retry counter to detect this condition and return an error instead of looping indefinitely.

Impact

The vulnerability allows a malformed NTFS image to cause the Linux kernel ntfs3 driver to enter an infinite loop, resulting in a Denial-of-Service (DoS) condition. This can disrupt system operations that involve mounting or accessing NTFS file systems with corrupted metadata. There is no indication of remote code execution or privilege escalation. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel ntfs3 driver involves an infinite loop in the attr_load_runs_range function triggered by inconsistent NTFS metadata. Specifically, when an attribute header indicates an empty run list (evcn=-1) but directory entries reference actual data, the run_unpack() function returns success without initializing runs_tree. Consequently, run_lookup_entry() fails repeatedly, incrementing the virtual cluster number by zero and causing an infinite loop. The patch introduces a retry counter to detect repeated failures and returns -EINVAL to prevent the DoS condition.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Nov 2026, 13:03 UTC

Technical details

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