Executive brief
NTFS-3G is a widely-used open-source driver that allows Linux and other operating systems to read and write NTFS-formatted storage devices. A heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the security.c module allows an attacker who can craft a malicious NTFS filesystem image to corrupt the memory of the SUID-root ntfs-3g binary, potentially leading to privilege escalation or denial of service. This vulnerability only affects systems that mount NTFS filesystems with the "inherit" option enabled, which is not the default configuration.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow in the build_inherited_id() function located in libntfs-3g/security.c. It is triggered when a file is created within a specially crafted directory on a malicious NTFS image. The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to provide a crafted NTFS filesystem image (e.g., via USB drive), and the attack complexity is high because the "inherit" mount option must be explicitly enabled. An attacker with no prior privileges can exploit this to corrupt heap memory in the SUID-root ntfs-3g binary, potentially achieving code execution with root privileges. Patches are available in ntfs-3g versions 2022.10.3 (with backport patch) and 2026.7.7 (full fix).
Affected products
- Tuxera NTFS-3G through 2026.2.25
Timeline
- 2026-07-15: disclosed: GitHub security advisory published
- 2026-08-24: advisory: NVD entry published
- 2026-07-07: patched: NTFS-3G version 2026.7.7 released with fix