CVE-2026-72211

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NTFS file system driver. When the driver attempts to reparent an index root, it can update metadata to reflect a larger size before the actual data structure is resized. If this resize operation fails, the file system can enter an inconsistent state. This inconsistency can lead to file system corruption, potentially resulting in a denial of service or data integrity issues for a local user.

A moderate severity flaw was found in the Linux kernel NTFS file system driver. When the driver reparents a resident index root into an index block, it publishes the larger index length and allocated size in the $INDEX_ROOT header before the resident value itself is resized. If that resize fails (for example, with -ENOSPC), the recovery path can look up attributes while the root header claims more index area than the resident value actually provides, so lookup-time $INDEX_ROOT validation rejects the transient layout and the file system is left in an inconsistent, corrupt state. A local user with low privileges performing file operations on a mounted NTFS file system can trigger this issue, resulting in file system corruption with potential denial of service or data integrity impact. Red Hat rated this flaw Moderate severity (CVSS 3.1: 5.5, AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) because exploitation requires local access to a system with a mounted NTFS file system. This differs significantly from the Critical 9.8 score in the upstream CVE record, whose network-based vector (AV:N/PR:N with high confidentiality and integrity impact) does not match the verified local attack path or the corruption-focused consequence. All Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS kernel streams tracked for this flaw are marked not affected because the vulnerable code is not present in the shipped 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.