VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026

CVE-2026-72190: Linux kernel · ntfs: fix mrec_lock ABBA deadlock in rename

Source GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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.

ghsa-7xmj-mqhm-5492

What to do

AI-suggested

A fix for this deadlock issue has been implemented in the Linux kernel NTFS driver. Users should update to a kernel version that includes this fix once it is released. Since this is a kernel-level fix, applying the official kernel update is the recommended remediation. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; users should consult the vendor or kernel release notes for the exact fixed version.

Description

A deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS implementation was resolved. The issue involved an ABBA deadlock condition caused by inconsistent locking order of inode and directory mrec_locks during rename and fsync operations. This could cause the kernel to hang when renaming files or directories under certain conditions. The fix enforces a consistent locking order to prevent deadlocks.

Impact

This deadlock vulnerability could cause the Linux kernel to hang or become unresponsive during NTFS file or directory rename operations under specific conditions. It affects system stability but does not directly lead to code execution or privilege escalation. There are no known exploits in the wild.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS driver (CVE-2026-72190) was due to an ABBA deadlock involving mrec_lock locks on inodes and directories. Functions ntfs_file_fsync(), ntfs_dir_fsync(), and __ntfs_write_inode() lock an inode's mrec_lock before its parent directory's mrec_lock. Meanwhile, ntfs_rename() locks the source inode and source directory before the target inode or target directory, which can cause a deadlock if fsync or write_inode holds the target inode or directory while rename waits on it. The fix changes the locking order to acquire the existing target inode lock before any parent directory locks, and for cross-directory renames, locks the target parent before the source parent to maintain a consistent child-to-parent locking order.

References

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