Volume corruption and deadlock via metadata writes
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Improper access control in the Linux kernel 7.1 NTFS driver allows local users with write access to corrupt volumes and deadlock writeback. The inode-read path leaves base metadata files such as $Bitmap mutable, so VFS writes can alter allocator metadata while the allocator scans the same inode page cache. Reachability requires a mounted NTFS volume and permission to write a system file; default mount permissions restrict such writes to root.
Summary
What happened
Improper access control in the Linux kernel 7.1 NTFS driver allows local users with write access to corrupt volumes and deadlock writeback. The inode-read path leaves base metadata files such as $Bitmap mutable, so VFS writes can alter allocator metadata while the allocator scans the same inode page cache. Reachability requires a mounted NTFS volume and permission to write a system file; default mount permissions restrict such writes to root.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-72186
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=7.1
- Affected versionversion=af0db57d4293cc9fe6ce99fb5592dc2652228c9d <8f313e92522ac41d273ea137db13ea8a8df2beed
- Affected versionversion=af0db57d4293cc9fe6ce99fb5592dc2652228c9d <f72df3a4c33b64de3418ec74d1ad4f028e09d161
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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