Executive brief
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 file system driver could allow for system instability or the exposure of sensitive information. The issue stems from the system using memory that has not been properly cleared before use when handling file operations. This could lead to system crashes or allow an attacker to view fragments of data previously stored in memory.
Technical details
A use of uninitialized resource vulnerability (CWE-908) exists in the fs/ntfs3 component of the Linux kernel. The vulnerability occurs because memory allocated via __getname() (a wrapper for kmem_cache_alloc()) is used in functions like ntfs_read_hdr and bcmp before being zeroed out. An attacker could potentially exploit this to read sensitive data remaining in kernel memory or cause a kernel oops/denial of service. The fix replaces kmem_cache_alloc() calls with kmem_cache_zalloc() to ensure memory is zero-initialized upon allocation. Patching is available in stable kernel releases 5.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.6.122, 6.12.68, and 6.18.2.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel 5.15 to 5.15.199, 5.16 to 6.1.162, 6.2 to 6.6.122, 6.7 to 6.12.68, 6.13 to 6.18.2
Timeline
- 2025-11-05: other: Initial patch authored
- 2025-12-24: advisory: CVE published
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/192e8ce302f14ac66259231dd10cede19858d742
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d52c592cf53f5bb7163967edc01d2d7d80de44a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a58e29849aef8d26554a982989a2190b49aaf8ed
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8a3ca23bbd9d849308a7921a049330dc6c91398
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdf38063fd15f2fc7361dc0b5d3c259741eab835
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f7728057220cabd720e27e46097edad48e5bd728