CVE-2026-72204

Filesystem corruption via malformed $INDEX_ROOT header

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Improper input validation in the Linux NTFS driver before 7.1.5 allows local users to corrupt a filesystem or interrupt service. The directory and named-index read paths do not consistently validate $INDEX_ROOT root sizes and header geometry before processing malformed NTFS data. Exploitation requires the kernel to process an attacker-crafted NTFS filesystem; public sources do not identify whether denial of service manifests as a crash or hang.

CVSS severity8.4
High
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper input validation in the Linux NTFS driver before 7.1.5 allows local users to corrupt a filesystem or interrupt service. The directory and named-index read paths do not consistently validate $INDEX_ROOT root sizes and header geometry before processing malformed NTFS data. Exploitation requires the kernel to process an attacker-crafted NTFS filesystem; public sources do not identify whether denial of service manifests as a crash or hang.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72204
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-1286
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <7.1.5
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <8b97b302f553a480fb76d2afd53cd6c0635a9dcd
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b06730c6af58d3569883f8dd7c36a90aba5ecc0a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0 <7.1.5; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <8b97b302f553a480fb76d2afd53cd6c0635a9dcd; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b06730c6af58d3569883f8dd7c36a90aba5ecc0a

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
8.4Linux CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-1286Improper Validation of Syntactic Correctness of Input

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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