CVE-2025-71266
kernel: fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx_find to avoid infinite loop
Severity
UnknownRed Hat Product Security
CVSS
Review impact separately from score.
Published · March 18, 2026
Updated · June 28, 2026
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx_find to avoid infinite loop
We found an infinite loop bug in the ntfs3 file system that can lead to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) condition.
A malformed dentry in the ntfs3 filesystem can cause the kernel to hang during the lookup operations. By setting the HAS_SUB_NODE flag in an INDEX_ENTRY within a directory's INDEX_ALLOCATION block and manipulating the VCN pointer, an attacker can cause the indx_find() function to repeatedly read the same block, allocating 4 KB of memory each time. The kernel lacks VCN loop detection and depth limits, causing memory exhaustion and an OOM crash.
This patch adds a return value check for fnd_push() to prevent a memory exhaustion vulnerability caused by infinite loops. When the index exceeds the size of the fnd->nodes array, fnd_push() returns -EINVAL. The indx_find() function checks this return value and stops processing, preventing further memory allocation.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CWE not specified