CVE-2026-72197: Linux kernel · fs/ntfs3: bound DeleteIndexEntryAllocation memmove length
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.4 High · fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1123.132~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1122.131~20.04.1 +42
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation 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.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A patch is available and should be applied to affected Linux kernel versions. The fix adds proper bounds checking to prevent out-of-bounds memmove calls and rejects malformed zero-length entries. Users should update to patched kernel versions as provided by their Linux distribution vendors. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official fix.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver was resolved, involving an unbounded memmove length in the DeleteIndexEntryAllocation function. The issue arises when a size value from an on-disk INDEX_BUFFER entry causes a pointer offset calculation to underflow and be cast to a large size_t, leading memmove to copy beyond the destination buffer. This can cause a kernel crash (oops). The flaw was reproduced with a crafted NTFS image and fixed by adding proper bounds checks and rejecting zero-length entries.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72197 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/09fddd52c1b0cef2c086d61be8f3d5dc92e36565 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4c8aac931c1cd70347961ba5157aa916448c6a25 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/554700c65d398276cb00a8ef95f1d5e00b9eff93 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b509b9613f20dc5b653d54bf78fab00d79cc43c8 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c38ed2ab62fab75fd6d0fdc2bee540fbebc7b959 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f383aae59ec3994c14804f4191c59038b206be81 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fc4626bb3656362de8b0ecd56605d47a19ec3518 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72197 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72197 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/fc4626bb3656362de8b0ecd56605d47a19ec3518 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8876-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8878-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8879-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8877-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8875-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8889-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8887-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8886-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-2 (opens in a new tab)