CVE-2026-72188: ntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name()

Is it exploited?

Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of 29 Oct 2026. If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

0.5%

EPSS score, percentile 42.8 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

How severe?

9.1 Critical

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 7.1

Unaffected before 7.1; 7.1.5; 7.2

Versions by product

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

This summary is based on the CVE record as of 29 Oct 2026. Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Versions not listed are: unaffected.

Versions not listed are: affected.

Versions the record lists as unaffected: 7.1.5, 7.2.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() returns MFT references read from directory index entries on disk. These values are untrusted, but the function can currently return an error-marked MFT reference to its callers without validating it. Callers later decode lookup…

Summary: CVE record, as of 29 Oct 2026.

• CISA has not added CVE-2026-72188 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record was published on 15 Aug 2026.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (Critical), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.5% (percentile 42.8), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

ntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: sanitize MFT references returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() returns MFT references read from directory index entries on disk. These values are untrusted, but the function can currently return an error-marked MFT reference to its callers without validating it. Callers later decode lookup failures with MREF_ERR(). A crafted NTFS image can set the MREF error bit while leaving the low bits as an arbitrary value, causing callers to consume a bogus pseudo-errno instead of treating the lookup result as corrupted on-disk metadata. Fix this at the source by normalizing every error-marked MFT reference returned from ntfs_lookup_inode_by_name() to ERR_MREF(-EIO). Apply this to all four directory lookup return paths so every caller gets a validated result without needing additional checks or an API change. This keeps the sanitization in the common lookup helper, which is cleaner than duplicating validation in each caller.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Timeline

Known exploited Linux vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-46300: Linux Kernel Missing Initialization of a Variable Vulnerability (added 28 Oct 2026)
• CVE-2025-39682: Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions Vulnerability (added 18 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2025-39964: Linux Kernel Race Condition Vulnerability (added 18 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-53266: Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability (added 18 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-53362: Linux Kernel Unspecified Vulnerability (added 27 Aug 2026)