CVE-2026-72205

Resource exhaustion via failed-mount cleanup leaks

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Resource leak in the Linux kernel NTFS driver before 7.1.5 allows local users to exhaust memory through repeated failed mount attempts. The ntfs_fill_super() err_out_now path frees only the volume structure and omits cleanup of its NLS map, volume label, and cluster-bit allocation. Reachability requires repeated failures while mounting a crafted NTFS image, and the accumulated allocations can interrupt services through memory exhaustion.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource leak in the Linux kernel NTFS driver before 7.1.5 allows local users to exhaust memory through repeated failed mount attempts. The ntfs_fill_super() err_out_now path frees only the volume structure and omits cleanup of its NLS map, volume label, and cluster-bit allocation. Reachability requires repeated failures while mounting a crafted NTFS image, and the accumulated allocations can interrupt services through memory exhaustion.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72205
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-772, T1499.001
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 <a9523a7d3b24b3a6b25ec1eb668ee6618cacf05e
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <aca3d383a23cb7f3a2849c09fda3974f1838d941

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0 <7.1.5; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a9523a7d3b24b3a6b25ec1eb668ee6618cacf05e; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <aca3d383a23cb7f3a2849c09fda3974f1838d941

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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-772Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime
T1499.001OS Exhaustion Flood

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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