CVE-2026-72208: Linux kernel · ntfs: add bounds check before accessing EA entries
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 applied to the Linux kernel to add bounds checks before accessing EA entries in the affected functions. Users should update their Linux kernel to a version that includes this fix once available. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; therefore, check the vendor or kernel advisory for the current remediation status.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: add bounds check before accessing EA entries in ntfs_ea_lookup and ntfs_listxattr, this verifies that there is enough space in the EA entry before accessing the next_entry_offset field of the EA entry.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72208 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/937282f7d15b593d0be765fa2ced164130ec87f7 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9d9925de1d8f233cc60d3dc356e12f232f97c15 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72208 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72208 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/937282f7d15b593d0be765fa2ced164130ec87f7 (opens in a new tab)