Vulnerability in Linux
CVE-2026-72199
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: validate resident index root values on lookup Resident $INDEX_ROOT values carry index header fields that callers consume after lookup. Some callers already validate parts of the layout before walking entries, but those checks are scattered and do not cover all root header invariants, such as entries_offset alignment and lower bound, index_length, and allocated_size consistency. The resident root resize paths now keep these header fields consistent while the value size changes: ntfs_ir_truncate() lowers index.allocated_size before shrinking the resident value, and ntfs_ir_reparent() grows the resident value before publishing a larger root header. Lookup-time validation can therefore cover these invariants without tripping over the driver's own resize paths. Add $INDEX_ROOT to the minimum resident value size table and validate the resident index header fields before returning the attribute from lookup. Require 8-byte aligned index header fields, a sane entries_offset, an index_length within allocated_size, allocated_size within the resident value, and enough entry space for at least an index entry header. The shared validator already rejects non-resident records for resident-only attribute types, including $INDEX_ROOT.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.006 (44.0th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 44th percentile — 44.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.006 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Linux — versions 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, 7.2-rc1, 7.2
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-72199?
- CVE-2026-72199 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-08-15.
- How severe is CVE-2026-72199?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.