CVE-2023-54272 fs/ntfs3: Fix a possible null-pointer dereference in ni_clear()
A null-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel NTFS3 driver allows local attackers to cause a system crash.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-54272?
CVE-2023-54272 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/ntfs3: Fix a possible null-pointer dereference in ni_clear()
In a previous commit c1006bd13146, ni->mi.mrec in ni_write_inode() could be NULL, and thus a NULL check is added for this variable.
However, in the same call stack, ni->mi.mrec can be also dereferenced in ni_clear():
ntfs_evict_inode(inode) ni_write_inode(inode, ...) ni = ntfs_i(inode); is_rec_inuse(ni->mi.mrec) -> Add a NULL check by previous commit ni_clear(ntfs_i(inode)) is_rec_inuse(ni->mi.mrec) -> No check
Thus, a possible null-pointer dereference may exist in ni_clear(). To fix it, a NULL check is added in this function.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54272?
How do I fix CVE-2023-54272?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2023-54272 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54272 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-54272, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54272, GHSA-jm7j-xgrw-fv67, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54272.