From: Dennis Tighe <dennis.tighe@gmail.com>
To: Namjae Jeon <linkinjeon@kernel.org>, Hyunchul Lee <hyc.lee@gmail.com>
Cc: linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH] ntfs: validate usa_ofs before preserving the update sequence number
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:05:17 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <49b4a00a-351b-4eae-8466-feadb1851156@gmail.com> (raw)
When ntfs_mft_record_alloc() reuses a free mft record it reads the old
update sequence number straight from the on-disk record:
usn = *(__le16 *)((u8 *)m + le16_to_cpu(m->usa_ofs));
Here m points into the raw $MFT page-cache folio, which still holds
unvalidated, MST-protected bytes: the folio is read by a plain
iomap_read_folio() and neither post_read_mst_fixup() nor
ntfs_mft_record_check() has run on it (both work on private copies).
m->usa_ofs is therefore an untrusted u16, and a corrupted record can put
it past the end of the record so the two-byte read lands outside the
folio. Reading such a record while creating a file gives, under KASAN:
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ntfs_mft_record_alloc+...
Read of size 2 at addr ...
ntfs_mft_record_alloc -> __ntfs_create -> ntfs_create -> path_openat
Only preserve the old update sequence number when usa_ofs is even and in
range, mirroring the check ntfs_mft_record_check() already applies;
otherwise leave usn zero, which the existing restore below skips.
Fixes: 495e90fa3348 ("ntfs: update attrib operations")
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4-8
Signed-off-by: Dennis Tighe <dennis.tighe@gmail.com>
---
Reached by creating a file on a mounted image whose $MFT holds a
corrupted free record. This seems like a fairly low-impact one, but
given that
it fires KASAN, it felt worth submitting a patch for.
The KASAN error that I received on 7.1.7 is listed above. On a RW mount
this is a
one-shot per image and only trips KASAN when the next page happens to be
poisoned.
A reproducer is available if you'd like (just reach out privately).
Found and fixed with AI assistance.
fs/ntfs/mft.c | 12 +++++++++++-
1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/fs/ntfs/mft.c b/fs/ntfs/mft.c
index fd20d7a..271a265 100644
--- a/fs/ntfs/mft.c
+++ b/fs/ntfs/mft.c
@@ -2333,7 +2333,17 @@ int ntfs_mft_record_alloc(struct ntfs_volume
*vol, const int mode,
* wrong with the previous mft record.
*/
seq_no = m->sequence_number;
- usn = *(__le16 *)((u8 *)m + le16_to_cpu(m->usa_ofs));
+ /*
+ * The mft record still holds unvalidated, MST-protected on-disk
+ * bytes, so m->usa_ofs is untrusted here. Only preserve the old
+ * update sequence number if that offset is in bounds; otherwise
+ * leave usn zero so it is not restored below.
+ */
+ if (!(le16_to_cpu(m->usa_ofs) & 1) &&
+ le16_to_cpu(m->usa_ofs) + sizeof(usn) <= vol->mft_record_size)
+ usn = *(__le16 *)((u8 *)m + le16_to_cpu(m->usa_ofs));
+ else
+ usn = 0;
err = ntfs_mft_record_layout(vol, bit, m);
if (unlikely(err)) {
ntfs_error(vol->sb, "Failed to layout allocated mft record
0x%llx.",
--
2.47.3
next reply other threads:[~2026-08-18 6:05 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-08-18 6:05 Dennis Tighe [this message]
2026-08-18 7:46 ` [PATCH] ntfs: validate usa_ofs before preserving the update sequence number Hyunchul Lee
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