CVE-2025-71265fs: ntfs3: fix infinite loop in attr_load_runs_range on inconsistent metadata
- 5.5MediumCVSS base score
- 0.15%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 96% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
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.
Timeline
ID reserved
By Linux
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Published
- 8 months later
· 8 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Medium5.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.15% · top 96% of all CVEs (15 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 5.5.
Affected products
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < 6f07a590616ff5f57f7c041d98e463fad9e9f763
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < 78b61f7eac37a63284774b147f38dd0be6cad43c
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < 3c3a6e951b9b53dab2ac460a655313cf04c4a10a
- affected be71b5cba2e6485e8959da7a9f9a44461a1bb074 – < 4b90f16e4bb5607fb35e7802eb67874038da4640
- affected 5.15
- unaffected < 5.15
- unaffected 5.15.202 – ≤ 5.15.*
- unaffected 6.1.165 – ≤ 6.1.*
- unaffected 6.6.128 – ≤ 6.6.*
- unaffected 6.12.75 – ≤ 6.12.*
- unaffected 6.18.16 – ≤ 6.18.*
- unaffected 6.19.6 – ≤ 6.19.*
- unaffected 7.0 – ≤ *
References
References10
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f07a590616ff5f57f7c041d98e463fad9e9f763 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a89bc96d5abd8a4a8d5d911884ea347efcdf460b (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af839013c70a24779f9d1afb1575952009312d38 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78b61f7eac37a63284774b147f38dd0be6cad43c (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0b43c45d45f59e7faad48675a50231a210c379b (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c3a6e951b9b53dab2ac460a655313cf04c4a10a (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b90f16e4bb5607fb35e7802eb67874038da4640 (opens in a new tab)
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.html (opens in a new tab)
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html (opens in a new tab)
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2025-208818 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2025-71265)Record last updated .