In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ntfs: not change 0-byte $DATA attribute to non-resident
When ntfs_resident_attr_resize() cannot grow a resident attribute in
place, it retries after converting other resident attributes to
non-resident to free space in the MFT recrord.
Do not select zero-length resident $DATA attributes for this conversion.
fsck treats 0-byte non-resident $DATA attribute as corruptions.
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS Score: 9.8
AV:N - ntfs_resident_attr_resize() is reached from VFS write/truncate/fallocate paths (ntfs_attr_expand, __ntfs_attr_truncate_vfs); fs/ntfs registers ntfs_export_ops, so remote NFS or ksmbd clients writing to an exported rw NTFS share can trigger the corrupting conversion without local shell access.
AC:L - An attacker can deterministically pack an MFT record with a resident 0-byte $DATA attribute plus other resident attributes, then grow a different resident attribute to force -ENOSPC and select that $DATA for conversion; no races or victim-specific memory layout are required.
PR:N - Exploitation requires only permission to write or truncate files on a mounted NTFS volume (local user with directory write access, authenticated SMB/NFS client, or guest/anonymous write on a misconfigured export); mounting is environmental setup, not a privilege needed during the trigger.
UI:N - Once an administrator has rw-mounted and optionally exported the NTFS volume (or automounted dual-boot/shared storage), the attacker drives write/truncate operations that exhaust MFT record space; no further victim clicks, opens, or cooperative actions are required beyond that standing configuration.
S:U - Impact is confined to on-disk NTFS $DATA metadata corruption and subsequent filesystem operation failure within the host kernel/filesystem security authority; this is standard local or network filesystem exploitation, not a VM escape or cross-authority sandbox breakout.
C:H - Converting a 0-byte resident $DATA to non-resident writes structurally invalid on-disk metadata that ntfsck/fsck treat as corruption; subsequent attribute lookups and data reads on the affected inode parse attacker-influenced corrupt non-resident layout and may read beyond intended attribute bounds.
I:H - The bug persistently corrupts MFT $DATA records by creating invalid 0-byte non-resident attributes, enabling attacker-steerable on-disk metadata modification beyond the intended filesystem state that repair tools flag as corruption and that can render affected files or volumes inconsistent across OSes.
A:H - Corrupt 0-byte non-resident $DATA attributes cause fsck/ntfsck failures and can leave affected files or volumes unusable on remount or when accessed from Windows or Linux; persistent on-disk corruption that blocks reliable filesystem access scores Availability High.
| Attack Vector |
Network |
Scope |
Unchanged |
| Attack Complexity |
Low |
Confidentiality Impact |
High |
| Privileges Required |
None |
Integrity Impact |
High |
| User Interaction |
None |
Availability Impact |
High |
AV:N - ntfs_resident_attr_resize() is reached from VFS write/truncate/fallocate paths (ntfs_attr_expand, __ntfs_attr_truncate_vfs); fs/ntfs registers ntfs_export_ops, so remote NFS or ksmbd clients writing to an exported rw NTFS share can trigger the corrupting conversion without local shell access.
AC:L - An attacker can deterministically pack an MFT record with a resident 0-byte $DATA attribute plus other resident attributes, then grow a different resident attribute to force -ENOSPC and select that $DATA for conversion; no races or victim-specific memory layout are required.
PR:N - Exploitation requires only permission to write or truncate files on a mounted NTFS volume (local user with directory write access, authenticated SMB/NFS client, or guest/anonymous write on a misconfigured export); mounting is environmental setup, not a privilege needed during the trigger.
UI:N - Once an administrator has rw-mounted and optionally exported the NTFS volume (or automounted dual-boot/shared storage), the attacker drives write/truncate operations that exhaust MFT record space; no further victim clicks, opens, or cooperative actions are required beyond that standing configuration.
S:U - Impact is confined to on-disk NTFS $DATA metadata corruption and subsequent filesystem operation failure within the host kernel/filesystem security authority; this is standard local or network filesystem exploitation, not a VM escape or cross-authority sandbox breakout.
C:H - Converting a 0-byte resident $DATA to non-resident writes structurally invalid on-disk metadata that ntfsck/fsck treat as corruption; subsequent attribute lookups and data reads on the affected inode parse attacker-influenced corrupt non-resident layout and may read beyond intended attribute bounds.
I:H - The bug persistently corrupts MFT $DATA records by creating invalid 0-byte non-resident attributes, enabling attacker-steerable on-disk metadata modification beyond the intended filesystem state that repair tools flag as corruption and that can render affected files or volumes inconsistent across OSes.
A:H - Corrupt 0-byte non-resident $DATA attributes cause fsck/ntfsck failures and can leave affected files or volumes unusable on remount or when accessed from Windows or Linux; persistent on-disk corruption that blocks reliable filesystem access scores Availability High.
CVSS 3.1