CVE-2026-98453

Received Received - Intake

SMB Handle Leak in Linux Kernel SMB Client

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: close handle after create-context parsing failure SMB2_open() accounts a successful CREATE response as a remote open before parsing its create contexts. If smb2_parse_contexts() rejects malformed context data, SMB2_open() returns without closing the handle, leaving the server-side handle open and num_remote_opens elevated. Close the handle after a post-CREATE context parsing failure so the error path releases the remote resource and balances the open count.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-18

Last Modified

2026-10-19

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-18

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-98453

EUVD

EUVD-2026-103693

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Linux	Linux	af1689a9b7701d9907dfc84d2a4b57c4bc907144
Linux	Linux	af1689a9b7701d9907dfc84d2a4b57c4bc907144
Linux	Linux	af1689a9b7701d9907dfc84d2a4b57c4bc907144
Linux	Linux	af1689a9b7701d9907dfc84d2a4b57c4bc907144
Linux	Linux	6726429c18c62dbf5e96ebbd522f262e016553fb
Linux	Linux	13fb0fc4917621f3dfa285a27eaf7151d770b5e5
Linux	Linux	890bc4fac3c0973a49cac35f634579bebba7fe48
Linux	Linux	1ae3c59355dc9882e09c020afe8ffbd895ad0f29
Linux	Linux	17a0f64cc02d4972e21c733d9f21d1c512963afa
Linux	Linux	5.4.277
Linux	Linux	5.10.211
Linux	Linux	5.15.150
Linux	Linux	6.1.79
Linux	Linux	6.6.8
Linux	Linux	6.7

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves the SMB client not properly closing a handle after a failed parsing of create-context data in an SMB2_open() response. When malformed context data is rejected, the handle remains open on the server side, causing an imbalance in the remote open count.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's SMB client implementation. Detection requires checking for unclosed SMB handles due to failed context parsing. Monitor for elevated num_remote_opens values or failed SMB2_open() operations in kernel logs. Use commands like dmesg | grep SMB or journalctl -k | grep SMB to inspect kernel logs for SMB-related errors.

Impact Analysis

This could lead to resource exhaustion on the server side due to unclosed handles, potentially causing denial of service or degraded performance for SMB operations.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it pertains to a specific Linux kernel SMB client issue involving handle management rather than data privacy or security controls.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel security patches to address the SMB client vulnerability. Monitor for unusual SMB handle leaks or elevated num_remote_opens counts on affected systems.

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