CVE-2026-72206

Kernel panic via unvalidated NTFS index geometry

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel NTFS driver 7.1 through 7.1.4 allows local users to trigger a kernel panic via a crafted INDX block. ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() builds its first-entry pointer from an unchecked INDEX_HEADER entries_offset and fails to verify that index_length exceeds that offset. The crafted filesystem must be mounted and looked up, after which malformed index geometry can read outside the index buffer and interrupt the host.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel NTFS driver 7.1 through 7.1.4 allows local users to trigger a kernel panic via a crafted INDX block. ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() builds its first-entry pointer from an unchecked INDEX_HEADER entries_offset and fails to verify that index_length exceeds that offset. The crafted filesystem must be mounted and looked up, after which malformed index geometry can read outside the index buffer and interrupt the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72206
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-1288, T1499
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 <14bc34fe948523dc2b0174691f9af9e74eb4f3fd
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <34a49b3e94a50f45b62c6e6f574f676a079ba23e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0 <7.1.5; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <14bc34fe948523dc2b0174691f9af9e74eb4f3fd; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <34a49b3e94a50f45b62c6e6f574f676a079ba23e

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
9.8Linux CNACVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.

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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-1288Improper Validation of Consistency within Input
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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