# CVE-2026-72187: ntfs: avoid self-deadlock during inode eviction

> A self-deadlock in the Linux kernel NTFS driver during inode eviction can cause a local denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72187, GHSA-f35h-7767-j6v8, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72187

## What is CVE-2026-72187?

CVE-2026-72187 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. 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:

ntfs: avoid self-deadlock during inode eviction

An attribute-list update performed while allocating clusters can drop the
last reference to the temporary attribute inode. Evicting that inode
drops its reference to the base inode and can invoke ntfs_drop_big_inode()
for the base inode from within the base inode's own writeback path.

If the base inode is unlinked, ntfs_drop_big_inode() calls
truncate_setsize(), which waits for the inode's folio writeback to
complete. The same writeback worker is responsible for completing that
writeback, so it waits for itself indefinitely.

Prevent this self-deadlock by grabbing a reference to the base inode at the
beginning of ntfs_writepages() and releasing it at the end of the function.
This defers eviction until all bios have been submitted, allowing the wait
for folio writeback to complete safely.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72187?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72187?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72187 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72187 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72187 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72187 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72187 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-2026-72187/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72187/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72187
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72187
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72187

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72187/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.