CVE-2026-72205: Linux kernel · ntfs: free volume-wide resources on fill_super failure
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
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.
What to do
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 fix is available that ensures proper cleanup of volume-wide resources on mount failure in the NTFS driver. Users should apply the updated Linux kernel versions that include this patch. No additional mitigation is required as the fix addresses the resource leak directly.
Description
A low-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS driver causes resource leaks on mount failures. Specifically, volume-wide resources such as nls_map, volume_label, and lcn_empty_bits_per_page are not properly freed on certain failure paths in ntfs_fill_super(), leading to memory leaks. These leaks accumulate silently without triggering warnings and require unloading the module to recover. The issue has been resolved by moving cleanup calls to ensure resources are freed on every failure path.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72205 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9523a7d3b24b3a6b25ec1eb668ee6618cacf05e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/aca3d383a23cb7f3a2849c09fda3974f1838d941 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72205 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72205 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/a9523a7d3b24b3a6b25ec1eb668ee6618cacf05e (opens in a new tab)