CVE-2026-72207: Linux kernel · ntfs: not change 0-byte $DATA attribute to non-resident
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 45% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 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
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to prevent zero-length resident $DATA attributes from being converted to non-resident. Users should update their Linux kernel to a version that includes this fix. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; therefore, check the official Linux kernel advisories or repositories for the specific fixed version and apply the update accordingly.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: not change 0-byte $DATA attribute to non-resident When ntfs_resident_attr_resize() cannot grow a resident attribute in place, it retries after converting other resident attributes to non-resident to free space in the MFT recrord. Do not select zero-length resident $DATA attributes for this conversion. fsck treats 0-byte non-resident $DATA attribute as corruptions.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72207 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0aad21570197973af4a1b25b3fb8ed3aeb9e7670 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ceb49c37250125d418410988f2376ed4d57a6706 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72207 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72207 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/0aad21570197973af4a1b25b3fb8ed3aeb9e7670 (opens in a new tab)