Unrated

Heap memory corruption in ntfscat

IdentifiersCVE-2026-42616CWE-122

CVE-2026-42616 is a heap memory corruption vulnerability in the ntfscat utility, part of the NTFS-3G/ntfsprogs suite. The flaw is triggered when ntfscat processes a corrupt or maliciously crafted NTFS filesystem structure or image. The vulnerable condition arises during parsing and handling of attacker-controlled filesystem metadata, leading to corruption of heap memory. Because the affected component operates on untrusted NTFS data, successful exploitation may be possible through a specially crafted filesystem image presented to the utility.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can cause process crashes and memory corruption, and the available reporting indicates it may potentially lead to arbitrary code execution. In environments where ntfscat or related NTFS-3G components are executed with elevated privileges, exploitation may enable local privilege escalation up to root. At minimum, the flaw can be used for denial of service by causing the utility to fail while processing malicious NTFS data.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Avoid processing untrusted or externally supplied NTFS filesystem images with ntfscat until patched. Restrict use of ntfscat and related NTFS-3G utilities to trusted inputs, and run them with the least privileges necessary rather than as root where operationally feasible. Limit which users can invoke the utility on local systems and isolate analysis of untrusted filesystem images in sandboxed or disposable environments.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade to NTFS-3G version 2026.7.7 or later, which includes the fix for CVE-2026-42616. Where direct upgrade is not immediately possible, apply the vendor-provided patch bundles for supported older release lines such as 2026.2.25 and 2022.10.3 if those versions are in use. On Debian stable, install the fixed ntfs-3g package version 1:2022.10.3-5+deb13u2 or later.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

TuxeraNtfs-3gapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

5 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

5 SOURCESView more in app

openwallNews

Feb 25, 2026

oss-security - Multiple vulnerabilities in ntfs-3g

Heap memory corruption vulnerability in ntfs-3g's ntfscat when processing a corrupt or maliciously crafted filesystem.

opennet ruNews

Dec 25, 2025

�� NTFS-3G 2026.7.7 � �� 9 ��

Vulnerability in the ntfscat utility of NTFS-3G that can potentially lead to code execution when processing a specially crafted NTFS structure.

opennetNews

Dec 25, 2025

�� NTFS-3G 2026.7.7 � �� 9 ��

Vulnerability in the ntfscat utility of NTFS-3G that could potentially allow code execution when processing a specially crafted NTFS structure.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity1