CVE-2026-98137
Received Received - Intake

NTFS dio zero-range failure leads to stale data exposure

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-09-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: treat any nonzero dio zero-range return as an error ntfs_dio_zero_range() returns either 0 or a negative errno from blkdev_issue_zeroout(); it never returns a positive value. The zeroing failure check in ntfs_attr_fallocate() therefore never fired, so a failed zeroing operation was silently ignored: the loop kept going, the newly allocated clusters were folded into initialized_size and the write could succeed leaving stale on-disk data. Treat any nonzero return as an error and abort the allocation.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-09-25
Last Modified
2026-09-25
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-25
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98137
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86968

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux_kernel ntfs *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability is in the Linux kernel's NTFS file system driver. It involves a function called ntfs_dio_zero_range() which is supposed to zero out disk space but incorrectly handles errors. When zeroing fails, the function returns a nonzero value, but the calling code ignores this and treats it as success. This allows stale data to remain on disk even after allocation, potentially exposing sensitive information.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's NTFS filesystem handling. Detection requires checking kernel version and NTFS-related errors. Use uname -a to check kernel version and dmesg | grep ntfs to look for NTFS-related errors or failures.

Impact Analysis

If you use a system with the vulnerable Linux kernel, this flaw could allow unauthorized access to previously deleted or overwritten data. Attackers might recover sensitive information that should have been securely erased. It primarily affects systems using NTFS file systems where disk space allocation occurs.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to non-compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, which require proper data deletion and protection. If sensitive data is improperly erased due to this flaw, organizations may face legal penalties or reputational damage for failing to meet data sanitization requirements.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update from your Linux distribution to patch the NTFS vulnerability. Monitor system logs for NTFS errors post-update. If immediate patching is not possible, avoid using NTFS filesystems until patched.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-98137. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart