Affects the Linux kernel's NTFS driver used widely; allows kernel memory corruption and potential RCE/privilege escalation—enterprise-wide impact.
CVE-2026-89611
Linux kernel NTFS parsing OOB write enabling kernel corruption and possible RCE/privilege escalation
Is CVE-2026-89611 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-89611 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 0.38% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-89611?
CVE-2026-89611 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. 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-2026-89611?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-89611. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-89611 affect?
CVE-2026-89611 affects Linux kernel (ntfs/ntfs3), Any Linux distro mounting NTFS volumes. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-89611?
Apply upstream kernel NTFS fixes or distro updates; avoid mounting untrusted NTFS media.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Crafted NTFS MFT triggers out-of-bounds write during attribute conversion, causing kernel memory corruption that can lead to local privilege escalation or arbitrary kernel code execution.
Immediate action required
- affected>= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < cd7b3dc7557faadeea626034e3bac68a449851ef
- affected>= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < a83e82b0ec3ae523028e24813f23f18b43e8fc1c
- affected< 7.2.4
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.