CRITICAL Introduced in 5.15
ntfs3 AttrList Overflow
CVE-2026-90048
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI6.7MEDIUM
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: fix slab-out-of-bounds write in ni_create_attr_list() ni_create_attr_list() allocates a fixed buffer of al_aligned(record_size) (== record_size) bytes and then walks every attribute of the primary MFT record, writing one ATTR_LIST_ENTRY per attribute and advancing the cursor by le_size(name_len), with no check against the end of the buffer; the total size is only computed after the loop. A minimum-size resident attribute occupies SIZEOF_RESIDENT (0x18 = 24) bytes on disk, but an unnamed attribute expands to le_size(0) (0x20 = 32) bytes in the list. Because the number of attributes in a record is not bounded (mi_enum_attr() accepts arbitrarily many equal-type, nameless minimum-size attributes), a crafted record packed with such attributes produces a list larger than record_size and overflows the heap buffer. This is reachable from a crafted, loop-mounted NTFS image: opening the file and adding an attribute (e.g. via setxattr) drives ntfs_set_ea() -> ni_insert_resident() -> ni_insert_attr() -> ni_ins_attr_ext() -> ni_create_attr_list(). BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ni_create_attr_list+0xc48/0x1058 Write of size 4 at addr ffff000008984c00 by task setfattr/345 ni_create_attr_list+0xc48/0x1058 ni_ins_attr_ext+0x510/0x7c0 ni_insert_attr+0x3f8/0x70c ni_insert_resident+0xc8/0x3b0 ntfs_set_ea+0x66c/0xd28 ntfs_setxattr+0x4d8/0x5b0 __arm64_sys_setxattr+0xa4/0x124 Allocated by task 345: ni_create_attr_list+0x188/0x1058 The buggy address belongs to the cache kmalloc-1k of size 1024 (the write lands at object+1024). Size the buffer from the actual attributes instead of assuming a single record_size is always enough.
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
A crafted NTFS filesystem image can trigger a heap buffer overflow in the ntfs3 driver when the kernel creates an attribute list for a densely-packed MFT record. An attacker who can get such an image mounted (requiring root or CAP_SYS_ADMIN) can corrupt kernel heap memory, potentially leading to code execution or a system crash. Devices that accept removable media or allow privileged users to mount filesystems are at risk.
Vulnerability analysis
When the ntfs3 driver builds an attribute list for an MFT record, it allocates a buffer sized to a single record and writes one list entry per attribute without checking whether the entries fit. A crafted NTFS image can pack many minimum-size attributes into one record, each expanding to a larger list entry, so the total exceeds the buffer and overflows into adjacent heap memory. The fix adds a pre-pass that sums the actual size of all attribute list entries before allocating, ensuring the buffer is always large enough. The vulnerability is reachable only after mounting a crafted NTFS image, which requires real root or init-namespace CAP_SYS_ADMIN; once mounted, any unprivileged user can trigger the overflow by calling setxattr on a file in the image.
Lifecycle
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Introduced | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| mainline | 5.15 | 7.3-rc1 | 7c4841e2a627 |
| 6.6 | 5.15 | 6.6.157 | 7e9aee7e4d97 |
| 7.2 | 5.15 | 7.2.5 | a84f3db72561 |
| 6.18 | 5.15 | 6.18.51 | d07e281f2a77 |
| 6.12 | 5.15 | 6.12.110 | fa2215cf4514 |