CVE-2026-72187: ntfs: avoid self-deadlock during inode eviction

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-15 · updated 2026-08-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ntfs: avoid self-deadlock during inode eviction An attribute-list update performed while allocating clusters can drop the last reference to the temporary attribute inode. Evicting that inode drops its reference to the base inode and can invoke ntfs_drop_big_inode() for the base inode from within the base inode's own writeback path. If the base inode is unlinked, ntfs_drop_big_inode() calls truncate_setsize(), which waits for the inode's folio writeback to complete. The same writeback worker is responsible for completing that writeback, so it waits for itself indefinitely. Prevent this self-deadlock by grabbing a reference to the base inode at the beginning of ntfs_writepages() and releasing it at the end of the function. This defers eviction until all bios have been submitted, allowing the wait for folio writeback to complete safely.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 7.1 — fixed in 7.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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