CVE-2026-97438Hinoki check available

Kernel heap over-read via oversized NTFS index key

Published Sep 24, 2026 · Updated Sep 24, 2026

Out-of-bounds read in affected Linux kernels before 6.12.111 and 6.18.53 allows attackers to trigger a kernel heap over-read via NTFS lookup. The ntfs3 index validators accept an NTFS_DE key_size larger than its entry payload, so cmp_fnames reads beyond the allocated index buffer. Exposure requires ntfs3 to process a malformed directory index; published evidence demonstrates the invalid read but not data disclosure or a system crash.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds read in affected Linux kernels before 6.12.111 and 6.18.53 allows attackers to trigger a kernel heap over-read via NTFS lookup. The ntfs3 index validators accept an NTFS_DE key_size larger than its entry payload, so cmp_fnames reads beyond the allocated index buffer. Exposure requires ntfs3 to process a malformed directory index; published evidence demonstrates the invalid read but not data disclosure or a system crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-97438
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Updated
Sep 24, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 24, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <6.12.111
  2. Affected versionversion=0 <6.18.53
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <0257e3ea00e19129f3ad5c039d8b8fdff0796835
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <98d6e5d9dc1d34dcffc61549617581a5fe1ef807
  5. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a8f4fb6a7d58974ffc9aed597401528b181d76dc

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0 <6.12.111; version=0 <6.18.53; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <0257e3ea00e19129f3ad5c039d8b8fdff0796835; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <98d6e5d9dc1d34dcffc61549617581a5fe1ef807; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a8f4fb6a7d58974ffc9aed597401528b181d76dc

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

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

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

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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