# CVE-2026-98138: ntfs: do not mark the volume clean in sync_fs when errors were recorded

> The Linux kernel NTFS driver incorrectly marks volumes as clean after errors, preventing necessary recovery and potentially leaving data in an inconsistent state.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98138, GHSA-hj9h-73j9-cr9g, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98138

## What is CVE-2026-98138?

CVE-2026-98138 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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: do not mark the volume clean in sync_fs when errors were recorded

ntfs_put_super() and the remount-read-only path both clear the dirty bit
only when NVolErrors(vol) is false. ntfs_sync_fs() clears it
unconditionally, so any sync() on a volume that recorded an error marks
that volume clean. A volume without this set is then seen as not needing
recovery and it does not run one, so whatever went wrong is never repaired.

This change skips resetting the dirty bit when there are volume errors.

Reproduced on a volume whose $MFTMirr does not match $MFT, which sets the
error flag while leaving the mount read-write: after a write and a sync,
the on-disk volume flags read 0x0000 with this driver and 0x0001 with the
guard in place.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98138?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-98138?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98138 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98138 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98138 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98138 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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-2026-98138 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2026-98138/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98138/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98138
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98138
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98138

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98138/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.