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CVE-2026-90048

fs/ntfs3: fix slab-out-of-bounds write in ni_create_attr_list()

Affects the Linux kernel ntfs3 driver from 5.15.0 on when a crafted NTFS image is loop-mounted. Fixed in stable releases 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51 and 7.2.5.

Published
Last modified
published
Not listed in CISA KEV
Unclear
Fix
Fixed in 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5
None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub

Summary

The Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver (fs/ntfs3) is affected. A specially crafted NTFS disk image mounted through a loop device can trigger a heap memory overflow when extended attributes are added, which could crash the system or potentially allow memory corruption.

Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.

Read the original description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: fix slab-out-of-bounds write in ni_create_attr_list() ni_create_attr_list() allocates a fixed buffer of al_aligned(record_size) (== record_size) bytes and then walks every attribute of the primary MFT record, writing one ATTR_LIST_ENTRY per attribute and advancing the cursor by le_size(name_len), with no check against the end of the buffer; the total size is only computed after the loop. A minimum-size resident attribute occupies SIZEOF_RESIDENT (0x18 = 24) bytes on disk, but an unnamed attribute expands to le_size(0) (0x20 = 32) bytes in the list. Because the number of attributes in a record is not bounded (mi_enum_attr() accepts arbitrarily many equal-type, nameless minimum-size attributes), a crafted record packed with such attributes produces a list larger than record_size and overflows the heap buffer. This is reachable from a crafted, loop-mounted NTFS image: opening the file and adding an attribute (e.g. via setxattr) drives ntfs_set_ea() -> ni_insert_resident() -> ni_insert_attr() -> ni_ins_attr_ext() -> ni_create_attr_list(). BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ni_create_attr_list+0xc48/0x1058 Write of size 4 at addr ffff000008984c00 by task setfattr/345 ni_create_attr_list+0xc48/0x1058 ni_ins_attr_ext+0x510/0x7c0 ni_insert_attr+0x3f8/0x70c ni_insert_resident+0xc8/0x3b0 ntfs_set_ea+0x66c/0xd28 ntfs_setxattr+0x4d8/0x5b0 __arm64_sys_setxattr+0xa4/0x124 Allocated by task 345: ni_create_attr_list+0x188/0x1058 The buggy address belongs to the cache kmalloc-1k of size 1024 (the write lands at object+1024). Size the buffer from the actual attributes instead of assuming a single record_size is always enough.

Timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. Record last updated

Affected versions

  • Linux Linux

    From 4342306f0f0d5ff4315a204d315c1b51b914fca5 · fixed in 7e9aee7e4d9767cc3e423b3beecb01c7ebb6bbcd; From 4342306f0f0d5ff4315a204d315c1b51b914fca5 · fixed in fa2215cf451414b0512cd6f7d37a057893811f4d; From 4342306f0f0d5ff4315a204d315c1b51b914fca5 · fixed in d07e281f2a7710502985d6f80b95ddac8f4e81d5; From 4342306f0f0d5ff4315a204d315c1b51b914fca5 · fixed in a84f3db72561c4d9281c5ff721ce46b9ffa7f30e; From 4342306f0f0d5ff4315a204d315c1b51b914fca5 · fixed in 7c4841e2a62794a3bab7c1ff0540580f387e377f

  • Linux Linux

    5.15

  • KernelLinux

    From 5.15.0 · fixed in 6.6.157; From 6.7.0 · fixed in 6.12.110; From 6.13.0 · fixed in 6.18.51; From 6.19.0 · fixed in 7.2.5

References 5

git.kernel.org

FAQ

Questions about CVE-2026-90048

What does this mean?

A crafted NTFS record with many minimum-size attributes makes the kernel build an attribute list larger than the record size, so the write overflows a heap buffer in ni_create_attr_list().Source: git.kernel.org

Am I affected, and how do I check?

The bug is in the ntfs3 filesystem driver in Linux kernels from 5.15.0 up to the fixed stable releases listed for each branch. Check the running version with uname -r and whether ntfs3 is in use with lsmod or by checking mounted NTFS filesystems. It needs a crafted NTFS image mounted through a loop device, and an attribute added to a file in it, for example with setxattr.Source: git.kernel.org

What should I do about it?

Update the kernel to the fixed stable release for its branch: 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, or 7.2.5. Versions 6.6 and later within the same branch, or any later mainline release, include the fix.Source: git.kernel.org

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: cve.now feed data