CVE-2026-72204
Linux NTFS header validation bug can cause kernel memory corruption and privilege escalation.
Is CVE-2026-72204 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72204 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72204?
CVE-2026-72204 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.4. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-72204?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72204. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72204 affect?
CVE-2026-72204 affects Linux kernel (NTFS driver), Linux distributions with affected kernels, Systems that mount NTFS volumes. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72204?
Apply vendor kernel updates ASAP; avoid mounting untrusted NTFS media and reboot after patch.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Crafted NTFS images can trigger kernel memory corruption, causing crashes or local privilege escalation/arbitrary code execution via mounting/reading.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 0a8ac0c1fa0b99a5b29002bc7f232ed7eafddef0 and < b06730c6af58d3569883f8dd7c36a90aba5ecc0a
- affected>= 0a8ac0c1fa0b99a5b29002bc7f232ed7eafddef0 and < 8b97b302f553a480fb76d2afd53cd6c0635a9dcd
- affected7.1
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.