CVE-2026-72184

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NTFS file system driver. When handling non-resident attributes, a memory leak occurs in the ntfs_non_resident_attr_insert_range() function. If the mapping of the runlist fails, allocated memory for hole_rl is not properly released. This can lead to resource exhaustion over time, potentially resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) for the system.

A flaw of moderate impact was found in the Linux kernel's NTFS file system driver. When inserting a range into a non-resident attribute, ntfs_non_resident_attr_insert_range() allocates memory for the hole runlist (hole_rl) before mapping the whole runlist; if ntfs_attr_map_whole_runlist() fails, the error path drops the runlist lock and returns without freeing hole_rl, leaking sizeof(*hole_rl) * 2 bytes on each failed call. A local attacker able to repeatedly trigger this error path on an NTFS file system could gradually exhaust kernel memory and cause a denial of service. Red Hat rates this flaw MODERATE severity with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H). All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 kernel and kernel-rt streams (including ELS and z-stream updates) and all Red Hat In-Vehicle OS kernel components are not affected because the vulnerable code is not present in the shipped Red Hat kernels.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.