CVE-2026-72353
CVE-2026-72353 is a security vulnerability in Kernel. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-72353 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
ntfs: avoid stale runlist element dereference in fallocate
Real-World Exposure
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Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ntfs: avoid stale runlist element dereference in fallocate
ntfs_attr_fallocate() allocates holes and delayed allocations inside initialized size by looking up the current runlist element under ni->runlist.lock. The returned struct runlist_element is only a borrowed pointer into ni->runlist.rl. A writer can replace and free that array after the read lock is dropped, so later reads of rl->lcn, rl->length and rl->vcn can touch freed memory.
The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the order within that path:
ntfs_attr_fallocate():
- Take ni->runlist.lock for read.
- Get rl from ntfs_attr_find_vcn_nolock().
- Drop ni->runlist.lock.
- Read rl->lcn, rl->length and rl->vcn.
mmap page_mkwrite:
- Enter ntfs_filemap_page_mkwrite().
- Reach __ntfs_write_iomap_begin() and ntfs_attr_map_cluster().
- Merge allocation state with ntfs_runlists_merge().
- Reallocate ni->runlist.rl in ntfs_rl_realloc(), freeing the old array.
Validation reproduced this kernel report: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00
Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x66/0xa0 print_report+0xce/0x630 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? __virt_addr_valid+0x20d/0x410 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 ? ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ntfs_attr_fallocate+0xbb8/0xd00 ? lock_acquire+0x2b8/0x2f0 ? __pfx_ntfs_attr_fallocate+0x10/0x10 ? 0xffffffffc0000095 ? down_write+0x10d/0x1e0 ntfs_fallocate+0x5c9/0x1d00 ? __pfx_ntfs_fallocate+0x10/0x10 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? lock_acquire+0x2b8/0x2f0 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? selinux_file_permission+0x3a7/0x510 vfs_fallocate+0x29d/0xd30 __x64_sys_fallocate+0xc7/0x150 ? do_syscall_64+0x81/0x6a0 do_syscall_64+0x115/0x6a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
Allocated by task 410: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 __kasan_kmalloc+0xaa/0xb0 __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x353/0x920 ntfs_rl_realloc+0x3f/0x110 ntfs_runlists_merge+0xaa3/0x3010 ntfs_attr_map_cluster+0x4e5/0xf80 ntfs_attr_fallocate+0x53f/0xd00 ntfs_fallocate+0x5c9/0x1d00 vfs_fallocate+0x29d/0xd30 __x64_sys_fallocate+0xc7/0x150 do_syscall_64+0x115/0x6a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
Freed by task 424: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60 __kasan_slab_free+0x5f/0x80 kfree+0x307/0x580 ntfs_rl_realloc+0x6f/0x110 ntfs_runlists_merge+0x7b1/0x3010 ntfs_attr_map_cluster+0x4e5/0xf80 __ntfs_write_iomap_begin+0x8cd/0x2280 iomap_iter+0x6de/0x11e0 iomap_page_mkwrite+0x391/0x650 ntfs_filemap_page_mkwrite+0x1ac/0x400 do_page_mkwrite+0x15c/0x280 __handle_mm_fault+0xd6d/0x1ca0 handle_mm_fault+0x19c/0x470 do_user_addr_fault+0x23b/0x9c0 exc_page_fault+0x5c/0xc0 asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30
Fix this by copying the needed runlist fields while the read lock is still held and using only those scalar snapshots after unlocking.
After the snapshot, ntfs_attr_map_cluster() can also find that the range is already mapped and return balloc=false. Only call ntfs_dio_zero_range() when new clusters were allocated, matching the write iomap path and preserving the zero-newly-allocated-holes behavior.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐧Linux | Kernel | ≥ 7.1.0&&< 7.1.5 | 7.1.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for Kernel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update Kernel to 7.1.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-72353 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-72353 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-72353. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-72353 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-72353 across Linux dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.