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NTFS-3G CVE-2026-42616

MEDIUM
2026-07-15 vendor:ubuntu
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Severity by source

vuln.today AI
7.8 HIGH

Local vector because exploitation requires processing a crafted image file; no privileges needed but user must invoke ntfscat; heap corruption enables full CIA impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Analysis Generated
Jul 16, 2026 - 16:36 vuln.today
CVE Published
Jul 15, 2026 - 00:00 cve.org
MEDIUM

DescriptionCVE.org

In NTFS-3G through 2026.2.25, a heap buffer overflow exists in cat() in cat.c that allows an attacker to corrupt heap memory in the ntfscat binary by crafting a malicious NTFS image. The overflow is triggered by reading a file.

AnalysisAI

Heap buffer overflow in NTFS-3G's ntfscat utility (versions through 2026.2.25) enables heap memory corruption when processing a crafted malicious NTFS image, specifically in the cat() function of cat.c. The overflow is triggered passively during file read operations, requiring no complex interaction beyond ntfscat processing an attacker-supplied image. …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

Access
Craft malicious NTFS image file
Delivery
Deliver image to target system
Exploit
Induce target to run ntfscat on image
Execution
Heap overflow triggered in cat() in cat.c
Persist
Heap metadata or adjacent object corrupted
Impact
Arbitrary code execution in ntfscat process context

Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Exploitation requires that the ntfscat binary is executed against an attacker-controlled NTFS image file, with the overflow triggered during the file-read operation inside cat(). … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment No official CVSS score or vector was supplied by NVD or the vendor, so all severity metrics are inferred from the description. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario An attacker crafts a malicious NTFS disk image containing a file whose internal structure triggers an out-of-bounds write in ntfscat's cat() function when the file is read. The image is delivered via USB drive, a downloaded archive, or a network share to a target that uses ntfscat - such as a forensic analyst, a backup recovery tool, or an automated VM disk import job. …
Remediation A patch is available per the vendor advisory. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

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CVE-2026-42616 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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