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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53023

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.209 / 6.1.175 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available 8 weeks old

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: terminate the cached volume label after UTF-8 conversion ntfs_fill_super() loads the on-disk volume label with utf16s_to_utf8s() and stores the result in sbi->volume.label. The converted label is later exposed through ntfs3_label_show() using %s, but utf16s_to_utf8s() only returns the number of bytes written and does not add a trailing NUL. If the converted label fills the entire fixed buffer, ntfs3_label_show() can read past the end of sbi->volume.label while looking for a terminator. Terminate the cached label explicitly after a successful conversion and clamp the exact-full case to the last byte of the buffer.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In the NTFS3 Linux kernel driver, utf16s_to_utf8s() converts the on-disk volume label from UTF-16 to UTF-8 but does not add a trailing NUL terminator. When the converted label exactly fills the fixed buffer, ntfs3_label_show() using %s format specifier reads past the buffer end while searching for a NUL, causing an out-of-bounds read vulnerability.

MitigationApply the kernel patch that explicitly terminates the converted label with NUL after utf16s_to_utf8s() and clamps the full-buffer case. Update to a kernel version containing this fix.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.15, < 5.15.209>= 5.16, < 6.1.175>= 6.2, < 6.6.141>= 6.7, < 6.12.91>= 6.13, < 6.18.33>= 6.19, < 7.0.10

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to get the running kernel version
    Affected if Kernel version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.15 and < 5.15.209; >= 5.16 and < 6.1.175; >= 6.2 and < 6.6.141; >= 6.7 and < 6.12.91; >= 6.13 and < 6.18.33; >= 6.19 and < 7.0.10
  2. Verify NTFS3 driver is loaded
    Run `lsmod | grep ntfs` or check if ntfs3 module exists via `modinfo ntfs3`
    Affected if The ntfs3 kernel module is loaded or the system has NTFS3 support compiled in
  3. Identify mounted NTFS volumes using ntfs3
    Run `mount | grep ntfs3` or check `/proc/mounts` for ntfs3 mount entries
    Affected if Any NTFS partitions are mounted with the ntfs3 driver (not ntfs-3g or other userspace tools)
  4. Check volume label length on mounted NTFS volumes
    Use `ntfslabel /dev/sdX` or `debugfs -R 'label' /dev/sdX` (requires root) to inspect the volume label of mounted NTFS partitions
    Affected if The NTFS volume label length is exactly 256 bytes or fills the maximum allowed buffer size, creating the condition where no room remains for NUL termination after UTF-16 to UTF-8 conversion

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable kernel version AND uses the ntfs3 driver to mount NTFS volumes AND has an NTFS volume label that exactly fills the conversion buffer without room for NUL termination.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.209 / 6.1.175 / 6.6.141 or later
Fixed in 5.15.2096.1.1756.6.141
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch that explicitly terminates the converted label with NUL after utf16s_to_utf8s() and clamps the full-buffer case. Update to a kernel version containing this fix.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel >= 5.15.209, >= 6.1.175, >= 6.6.141, or >= 6.12.91 (depending on your current branch)

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 5.15.209 or later for the 5.15 stable branch
  2. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.1.175 or later for the 6.1 stable branch
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.6.141 or later for the 6.2-6.7 stable branches
  4. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.12.91 or later for the 6.7+ stable branch
Caveat Point release kernel upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, review the release notes for your specific kernel version for any notable changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,520
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53023 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data