fs: ntfs3: fix infinite loop in attr_load_runs_range on inconsistent metadata
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-835.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs: ntfs3: fix infinite loop in attr_load_runs_range on inconsistent metadata We found an infinite loop bug in the ntfs3 file system that can lead to a Denial-of-Service (DoS) condition. A malformed NTFS image can cause an infinite loop when an attribute header indicates an empty run list, while directory entries reference it as containing actual data. In NTFS, setting evcn=-1 with svcn=0 is a valid way to represent an empty run list, and run_unpack() correctly handles this by checking if evcn + 1 equals svcn and returning early without parsing any run data. However, this creates a problem when there is metadata inconsistency, where the attribute header claims to be empty (evcn=-1) but the caller expects to read actual data. When run_unpack() immediately returns success upon seeing this condition, it leaves the runs_tree uninitialized with run->runs as a NULL. The calling function attr_load_runs_range() assumes that a successful return means that the runs were loaded and sets clen to 0, expecting the next run_lookup_entry() call to succeed. Because runs_tree remains uninitialized, run_lookup_entry() continues to fail, and the loop increments vcn by zero (vcn += 0), leading to an infinite loop. This patch adds a retry counter to detect when run_lookup_entry() fails consecutively after attr_load_runs_vcn(). If the run is still not found on the second attempt, it indicates corrupted metadata and returns -EINVAL, preventing the Denial-of-Service (DoS) vulnerability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.15 and later | 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15 and later Fixed in 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 to before 5.15.202; 5.16 to before 6.1.165; 6.2 to before 6.6.128; 6.7 to before 6.12.75; 6.13 to before 6.18.16; 6.19 to before 6.19.6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 to before 5.15.202; 5.16 to before 6.1.165; 6.2 to before 6.6.128; 6.7 to before 6.12.75; 6.13 to before 6.18.16; 6.19 to before 6.19.6 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-71265
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mhc2-234v-x4jm
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f07a590616ff5f57f7c041d98e463fad9e9f763
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78b61f7eac37a63284774b147f38dd0be6cad43c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c3a6e951b9b53dab2ac460a655313cf04c4a10a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b90f16e4bb5607fb35e7802eb67874038da4640
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Sources
- CVE-2025-71265 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-71265 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mhc2-234v-x4jm · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-71265 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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