---
id: CVE-2025-71266
title: 'fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx_find to avoid infinite loop'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx_find to avoid infinite loop

  We found an infinite loop bug in the ntfs3 file system that can lead to a
  Denial-of-Service (DoS) con…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    14c3188afbedfd5178bbabb8002487ea14b37b56
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    435d34719db0e130f6f0c621d67ed524cc1a7d10
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    68e32694be231c1cdb99b7637a657314e88e1a96
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    398e768d1accd1f5645492ab996005d7aa84a5b0
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    b0ea441f44ce64fa514a415d4a9e6e2b06e7946c
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    0ad7a1be44479503dbe5c699759861ef5b8bd70c
  - >-
    Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 <
    1732053c8a6b360e2d5afb1b34fe9779398b072c
  - Linux 5.15
published: '2026-03-18'
updated: '2026-09-08'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-08T08:44:19.375Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71266'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14c3188afbedfd5178bbabb8002487ea14b37b56'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/435d34719db0e130f6f0c621d67ed524cc1a7d10'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/68e32694be231c1cdb99b7637a657314e88e1a96'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/398e768d1accd1f5645492ab996005d7aa84a5b0'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0ea441f44ce64fa514a415d4a9e6e2b06e7946c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ad7a1be44479503dbe5c699759861ef5b8bd70c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1732053c8a6b360e2d5afb1b34fe9779398b072c'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00121
epssPercentile: 0.01679
ingestedAt: '2026-09-08T15:33:26.994Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fs: ntfs3: check return value of indx_find to avoid infinite loop

We found an infinite loop bug in the ntfs3 file system that can lead to a
Denial-of-Service (DoS) condition.

A malformed dentry in the ntfs3 filesystem can cause the kernel to hang
during the lookup operations. By setting the HAS_SUB_NODE flag in an
INDEX_ENTRY within a directory's INDEX_ALLOCATION block and manipulating the
VCN pointer, an attacker can cause the indx_find() function to repeatedly
read the same block, allocating 4 KB of memory each time. The kernel lacks
VCN loop detection and depth limits, causing memory exhaustion and an OOM
crash.

This patch adds a return value check for fnd_push() to prevent a memory
exhaustion vulnerability caused by infinite loops. When the index exceeds the
size of the fnd->nodes array, fnd_push() returns -EINVAL. The indx_find()
function checks this return value and stops processing, preventing further
memory allocation.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 14c3188afbedfd5178bbabb8002487ea14b37b56`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 435d34719db0e130f6f0c621d67ed524cc1a7d10`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 68e32694be231c1cdb99b7637a657314e88e1a96`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 398e768d1accd1f5645492ab996005d7aa84a5b0`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < b0ea441f44ce64fa514a415d4a9e6e2b06e7946c`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 0ad7a1be44479503dbe5c699759861ef5b8bd70c`
- `Linux >= 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 < 1732053c8a6b360e2d5afb1b34fe9779398b072c`
- `Linux 5.15`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.