Linux Kernel NTFS Cluster Management Vulnerability

CVE-2026-98139

What is CVE-2026-98139?

In the Linux kernel, a vulnerability has been identified in the NTFS support that affects how cluster management is handled. Specifically, the ntfs_cluster_free_from_rl_nolock() function inaccurately tallies successfully freed cluster runs. If the bitmap clearing process fails, the function continues to count the run’s length, leading to misrepresented free cluster counts. This miscalculation can corrupt the allocator's free space tracking and produce incorrect statistics when querying the file system state, impacting system stability and performance. Applying appropriate updates is essential to resolve this vulnerability and maintain system integrity.

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