# CVE-2025-68369: ntfs3: init run lock for extend inode

> A missing lock initialization in the Linux kernel ntfs3 driver causes a crash when truncating the $Extend inode, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-68369, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68369, GHSA-9m7w-275g-v9x3, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68369, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68369

## What is CVE-2025-68369?

CVE-2025-68369 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Dec 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

ntfs3: init run lock for extend inode

After setting the inode mode of $Extend to a regular file, executing the
truncate system call will enter the do_truncate() routine, causing the
run_lock uninitialized error reported by syzbot.

Prior to patch 4e8011ffec79, if the inode mode of $Extend was not set to
a regular file, the do_truncate() routine would not be entered.

Add the run_lock initialization when loading $Extend.

syzbot reported:
INFO: trying to register non-static key.
Call Trace:
 dump_stack_lvl+0x189/0x250 lib/dump_stack.c:120
 assign_lock_key+0x133/0x150 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:984
 register_lock_class+0x105/0x320 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:1299
 __lock_acquire+0x99/0xd20 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5112
 lock_acquire+0x120/0x360 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5868
 down_write+0x96/0x1f0 kernel/locking/rwsem.c:1590
 ntfs_set_size+0x140/0x200 fs/ntfs3/inode.c:860
 ntfs_extend+0x1d9/0x970 fs/ntfs3/file.c:387
 ntfs_setattr+0x2e8/0xbe0 fs/ntfs3/file.c:808

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68369?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68369?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68369 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68369 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68369 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68369 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Dec 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68369 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68369/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68369/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68369
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68369
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68369

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68369/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.