CVE-2026-72471

Received Received - Intake

Uninitialized LCN in Linux Kernel NTFS3

Publication date: 2026-08-15

Last updated on: 2026-08-17

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: prevent potential lcn remains uninitialized The target VCN being sought was not found within runs[0], causing run_lookup() to return false. This causes run_lookup_entry() to return false, which in turn results in a len value of 0, and the new parameter passed to attr_data_get_block() is NULL. Collectively, these factors ultimately cause attr_data_get_block_locked() to exit prematurely without initializing lcn, thereby triggering [1]. To prevent [1], the clen check within ni_seek_data_or_hole() has been moved to occur before the lcn check. [1] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in ni_seek_data_or_hole+0x24f/0x5f0 fs/ntfs3/frecord.c:2862 ni_seek_data_or_hole+0x24f/0x5f0 fs/ntfs3/frecord.c:2862 ntfs_llseek+0x22a/0x4a0 fs/ntfs3/file.c:1530 vfs_llseek fs/read_write.c:391 [inline]

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-15

Last Modified

2026-08-17

Generated

2026-09-04

AI Q&A

2026-08-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-03

NVD

CVE-2026-72471

EUVD

EUVD-2026-59370

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves uninitialized memory exposure in the NTFS3 file system driver. It occurs when a target VCN (Virtual Cluster Number) is not found in the file's allocation runs, causing a chain of failed checks that leave the LCN (Logical Cluster Number) uninitialized. This leads to a kernel memory sanitizer (KMSAN) bug report indicating an uninitialized value was used in ni_seek_data_or_hole function.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver. Detection requires checking for uninitialized memory usage in the ntfs3 module. Use kernel logs for KMSAN (Kernel Memory Sanitizer) warnings or run kernel-specific debugging tools like KASAN or KMSAN if enabled.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to read uninitialized kernel memory, potentially exposing sensitive information such as passwords, encryption keys, or other confidential data. It may also cause system instability or crashes if exploited.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is a low-level kernel memory initialization issue in the NTFS3 filesystem driver. There is no evidence it leads to data exposure or unauthorized access that would violate these regulations.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for this CVE. If immediate patching is not possible, disable the NTFS3 filesystem module by blacklisting it or avoid mounting NTFS filesystems until patched.

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