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CVE-2026-98539

Full vulnerability record from the local CVENow database.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: use d_instantiate_new() in ntfs_create_inode() and murder syzbot's "WARNING in do_new_mount" saga ntfs_create_inode() creates a new inode via ntfs_new_inode(). It hashes it with insert_inode_locked() and so it's marked as I_NEW until unlock_new_inode(). ntfs 3 calls d_instantiate() in between though... Since the dentry was already hashed by the lookup before the create any path walk finds it without touching the parent's i_rwsem and so can lock the inode. If the inode is a directory unlock_new_inode() calls lockdep_annotate_inode_mutex_key() and marks i_rwsem with the i_mutex_dir_key class. That resets the count and the owner of a lock somebody else may already hold by now... syzbot has been spamming us with the same godforsaken bug "WARNING in do_new_mount" since 2023. I can't take it anymore so I went looking. Afaict, syzbot's executor chdirs into a freshly mounted ntfs3 image, creates a directory and then mounts some pseudofs on it. Everytime the mkdir() takes longer than syzbot waits mount() runs concurrently: mkdir("./sys") mount(NULL, "./sys", "sysfs") ntfs_create_inode() d_instantiate() user_path_at() finds the dentry do_lock_mount() inode_lock(inode) namespace_lock() unlock_new_inode() lockdep_annotate_inode_mutex_key() init_rwsem(&inode->i_rwsem) unlock_mount() inode_unlock(inode) The mount side then releases a lock that according to the rwsem nobody holds: DEBUG_RWSEMS_WARN_ON((rwsem_owner(sem) != current) && ...): count = 0x0, magic = 0xffff888043a854e8, owner = 0x0, curr 0xffff888000244880, list empty WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5346 at kernel/locking/rwsem.c:1368 __up_write Call Trace: inode_unlock include/linux/fs.h:877 [inline] unlock_mount fs/namespace.c:2892 [inline] do_new_mount_fc fs/namespace.c:3828 [inline] do_new_mount+0x777/0xa40 fs/namespace.c:3887 On PREEMPT_RT the same thing shows up as DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(rt_mutex_owner(lock) != current) WARNING: kernel/locking/rtmutex_common.h:193 at rt_mutex_slowunlock The up_write() underflows the reset count. A following inode_lock() on that directory then never returns. A path walk into the new directory racing with the mkdir() corrupts the lock the same way via inode_lock_shared() in lookup_slow(). Switch to d_instantiate_new() and drop the trailing unlock_new_inode(). All error paths bail out before that point with I_NEW still set and keep using discard_new_inode(). May we never see this fscking bug report again.

Severity
Not scored
CVSS score
Not available
Vulnerability status
Received
Source identifier
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Published
2026-10-18 16:17:05.733000
Last modified
2026-10-19 10:19:09.680000
View original CVE JSON
{
  "id": "CVE-2026-98539",
  "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
  "published": "2026-10-18T16:17:05.733",
  "lastModified": "2026-10-19T10:19:09.680",
  "vulnStatus": "Received",
  "cveTags": [],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfs/ntfs3: use d_instantiate_new() in ntfs_create_inode() and murder syzbot's \"WARNING in do_new_mount\" saga\n\nntfs_create_inode() creates a new inode via ntfs_new_inode(). It hashes\nit with insert_inode_locked() and so it's marked as I_NEW until\nunlock_new_inode().\n\nntfs 3 calls d_instantiate() in between though... Since the dentry was\nalready hashed by the lookup before the create any path walk finds it\nwithout touching the parent's i_rwsem and so can lock the inode.\n\nIf the inode is a directory unlock_new_inode() calls\nlockdep_annotate_inode_mutex_key() and marks i_rwsem with the\ni_mutex_dir_key class.\n\nThat resets the count and the owner of a lock somebody else may already\nhold by now...\n\nsyzbot has been spamming us with the same godforsaken bug\n\n  \"WARNING in do_new_mount\"\n\nsince 2023. I can't take it anymore so I went looking. Afaict, syzbot's\nexecutor chdirs into a freshly mounted ntfs3 image, creates a\ndirectory and then mounts some pseudofs on it. Everytime the mkdir()\ntakes longer than syzbot waits mount() runs concurrently:\n\n  mkdir(\"./sys\")                        mount(NULL, \"./sys\", \"sysfs\")\n  ntfs_create_inode()\n    d_instantiate()\n                                        user_path_at() finds the dentry\n                                        do_lock_mount()\n                                          inode_lock(inode)\n                                          namespace_lock()\n    unlock_new_inode()\n      lockdep_annotate_inode_mutex_key()\n        init_rwsem(&inode->i_rwsem)\n                                        unlock_mount()\n                                          inode_unlock(inode)\n\nThe mount side then releases a lock that according to the rwsem nobody\nholds:\n\n  DEBUG_RWSEMS_WARN_ON((rwsem_owner(sem) != current) && ...):\n  count = 0x0, magic = 0xffff888043a854e8, owner = 0x0,\n  curr 0xffff888000244880, list empty\n  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5346 at kernel/locking/rwsem.c:1368 __up_write\n  Call Trace:\n   inode_unlock include/linux/fs.h:877 [inline]\n   unlock_mount fs/namespace.c:2892 [inline]\n   do_new_mount_fc fs/namespace.c:3828 [inline]\n   do_new_mount+0x777/0xa40 fs/namespace.c:3887\n\nOn PREEMPT_RT the same thing shows up as\n\n  DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(rt_mutex_owner(lock) != current)\n  WARNING: kernel/locking/rtmutex_common.h:193 at rt_mutex_slowunlock\n\nThe up_write() underflows the reset count. A following inode_lock() on\nthat directory then never returns. A path walk into the new directory\nracing with the mkdir() corrupts the lock the same way via\ninode_lock_shared() in lookup_slow().\n\nSwitch to d_instantiate_new() and drop the trailing unlock_new_inode().\nAll error paths bail out before that point with I_NEW still set and\nkeep using discard_new_inode().\n\nMay we never see this fscking bug report again."
    }
  ],
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
      "affectedData": [
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/ntfs3/inode.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17",
              "lessThan": "6fda7121cb6a8ea6fbd77d0f787f04b8e8b5358e",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17",
              "lessThan": "37ec7353f4ac495b28284b0fcb0e53d21d1b3f3f",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17",
              "lessThan": "1ae2a242c15b03470b1b16289298e597bbe3bb29",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17",
              "lessThan": "1abd643f3783ea8f8e273c18697ff0413aa92dc7",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/ntfs3/inode.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "5.15",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "0",
              "lessThan": "5.15",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.12.112",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.18.55",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.2.9",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.3",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
              "status": "unaffected"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {},
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1abd643f3783ea8f8e273c18697ff0413aa92dc7",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ae2a242c15b03470b1b16289298e597bbe3bb29",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37ec7353f4ac495b28284b0fcb0e53d21d1b3f3f",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6fda7121cb6a8ea6fbd77d0f787f04b8e8b5358e",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    }
  ]
}