Bug 2516367 (CVE-2026-72184)

Summary: CVE-2026-72184 kernel: ntfs: fix hole runlist memory leak in insert range error path
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NTFS file system driver. When handling non-resident attributes, a memory leak occurs in the `ntfs_non_resident_attr_insert_range()` function. If the mapping of the runlist fails, allocated memory for `hole_rl` is not properly released. This can lead to resource exhaustion over time, potentially resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) for the system.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-15 06:08:46 UTC 
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ntfs: fix hole runlist memory leak in insert range error path

ntfs_non_resident_attr_insert_range() allocates hole_rl before mapping the
whole runlist. If ntfs_attr_map_whole_runlist() fails, the error path drops
ni->runlist.lock and returns without freeing hole_rl. This leaks memory
of sizeof(*hole_rl) * 2 bytes.

Fix this memory leak by freeing hole_rl before returning from
that error path, matching the later error paths in the same function.
Comment 1 gkamathe 2026-08-18 08:08:39 UTC 
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026081540-CVE-2026-72184-a392@gregkh/T