CVE-2026-97439: Linux kernel · fs/ntfs3: preserve non-DOS attribute bits in system.dos_attrib
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Sep 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 has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this issue by preserving non-DOS attribute bits during DOS attribute updates in the NTFS3 driver. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory describing the fix. No additional mitigation steps are required beyond applying the updated kernel.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver could cause a kernel NULL pointer dereference due to improper handling of non-DOS attribute bits in system.dos_attrib. This occurs when a corrupted NTFS3 image toggles system.ntfs_attrib and overwrites system.dos_attrib on the same file, leading to a NULL function pointer call in generic_perform_write(). The issue has been fixed by preserving non-DOS attribute bits when updating DOS attributes, maintaining consistency of compressed and sparse file states.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97439 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97439 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/407ee19828a7d9700969ed9cc53be50d0f533619 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2de91ae285b0b878604d2bd83c3c395a8071e482 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1c1101067d9536bcb0fe023b96ee2dde5535959 (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97439 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/533217b90addd57cc16f1c974e023c72d18949c7 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2d6bc89e2236939df189831707c8cdad199f57a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fdc9f65aa6631df04238c6154713bacd5133d77c (opens in a new tab)