CVE-2026-72354
Use-after-free in Linux NTFS MFT writeback causing kernel memory corruption
Is CVE-2026-72354 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72354 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 0.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72354?
CVE-2026-72354 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. 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-2026-72354?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72354. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72354 affect?
CVE-2026-72354 affects Linux kernel (ntfs driver), Systems mounting NTFS volumes, Distros: Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, SUSE, others using upstream kernel. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72354?
Apply vendor kernel updates; if unavailable, unmount NTFS or blacklist/remove ntfs driver.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Local use-after-free in NTFS MFT writeback leading to kernel memory corruption: panic (DoS) or possible local privilege escalation/RCE.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 115380f9a2f9675c7924563cbba70d40cae8fb81 and < 9a2e36963a3fc52401586657d34e3f1c5a01ea56
- affected>= 115380f9a2f9675c7924563cbba70d40cae8fb81 and < 81fe702ff1760da32bcd3ef4494b2a33dbeced72
- 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.